Guided by doctor over phone, four male passengers help woman deliver baby at Ram Mandir railway station early on Wednesday morning
The boy who was born at Ram Mandir railway station, Dr Devika Deshmukh, medical professional who gave instructions over the phone and Vikas Bedre, the hero who helped deliver the child. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A young couple from Virar who were expecting their second child had no idea the fact that their baby would be delivered on the platform of a railway station. Ambika Mukesh Jha, 24, experienced extreme labour pain on the night of October 14. As soon as her nephew, Prince Mishra, saw his aunt’s condition, he immediately packed a bag full of essentials and they left their home, hoping to reach Nair Hospital in South Mumbai in time. “However, as the train approached Ram Mandir station, my aunt’s water broke and she almost fainted. Seeing that, Vikas Bhaiyya [a fellow passenger] pulled the chain, and we all got off the train. The situation turned scarier as Ambika Masi could not bear the pain at all,” said Mishra.
What happened next was completely unexpected. Vikas Bedre, the hero who assisted with the delivery, said, “We called for ambulances and the police helpline for almost 20 to 30 minutes but received no help. Unfortunately, no RPF [Railway Protection Force] officer was present. Luckily, I remembered that I had Dr Devika Deshmukh’s phone number. I immediately called her up and asked for help. I am happy that I received the strength from the Almighty to do this difficult job, and I am elated that I was of such great use to humankind. It makes me happy to know that the mother and baby are both safe.”
“As the mother and her nephew were on the way to the hospital, they had a big blanket. The few men who were around also dug into their bags and took out whatever clothes they had with them. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single woman nearby. But we men did not give up. Though some were hesitant to assist with the delivery itself, they helped in other ways. I was scared, but at the same time, my heart said, ‘If not me, then who?’” he added.
Doctor on video call
Dr Deshmukh, MD in Ayurveda (Panchakarma), guided Bedre over a video call. “After I got a call from Vikas around 12.45 am on Wednesday, I immediately understood that it was an emergency. Otherwise, who calls you in the middle of the night after a gap of almost four to five months? When I picked up, Vikas explained the entire situation. I instilled confidence in him and the mother. I asked Vikas to make a video call. I saw that the baby’s head was already out, which is why there wasn’t any other option than delivering the baby at the spot.
I kept talking to the mother while guiding Vikas. After one and a half hours, the baby was successfully delivered. Then I directed them to arrange for a lighter and scissors as the umbilical cord had to be cut. The men helping Vikas went to nearby stalls and arranged for the same. I directed them to tear a cloth and clamp the umbilical cord from both the mother’s and the baby’s ends and cut it. Then I told them to hold the baby under the mother as the mother’s blood needs to be drained on the baby’s body. After wiping the baby, I asked them to place the child at the mother’s chest as it needed her warmth.
By then, police officers and two doctors from Goregaon had reached the spot, and the mother and child were taken to Cooper Hospital after confirming that the delivery was done quite efficiently,” said the doctor. While Jha is stable, the baby boy, who was delivered on platform no. 4 of the railway station, had been admitted to the NICU as he had a hole in his heart and a medical problem with his face. Medical investigations are on and reports are awaited.
Incident exposes glaring lack of medical preparedness on Mumbai’s suburban rail network
The recent incident of the pregnant woman forced to deliver on the platform at Ram Mandir railway station because the station had no Emergency Medical Room (EMR) has once again exposed the glaring lack of medical preparedness on Mumbai’s suburban rail network.
According to RTI data obtained by railway activist Samir Zaveri in August 2025, out of nearly 100 stations on CR’s suburban network, only four have functional EMRs. On Western Railway, only 14 of 29 stations have them.
This is despite a Bombay High Court order in a 2008 PIL which made it mandatory for all suburban stations to have 24x7 EMRs staffed with doctors. Legal experts warn that the continuing non-compliance could amount to contempt of court.
The issue extends beyond medical rooms to the scarcity of ambulances. Mumbai’s suburban trains carry over 80 lakh commuters daily, yet only 15 CR stations have 108 emergency ambulances.
- Rajendra B Aklekar
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