23-year-old who almost lost leg after Fatka gang member's assault forgives him

A picture taken last Saturday shows Singh and her mother Ishravati on the same 801 am ladies special which she had taken from Kalyan station that fateful February morningWhen Dravita Singh 23 a third year Bachelor of Commerce student of Shri Chhatrapati Late Sau SR Abhang Memorial College Of Arts And Commerce greets us at her Kalyan home she appears reclusive She doesnt wish to relive the trauma of the last three months but on her father Hemant Kumar Singhs insistence she agrees to speakShe is brave but it hasnt been easy for her he says as Dravita sits across the drawing room staring at the floor The palm of her left hand is masked in a handkerchief and her right foot cushioned under a layer of cotton sock and sponge in special footwear comprising a shockabsorbing sole Singh nearly lost her foot under a moving local after she was attacked by the notorious Fatka gang on February 7Though recovery has been slow the family is grateful Last week on Saturday Singh and her mother Ishravati boarded the same 801 am ladies special from Kalyan station Its from here that she was thrown on the tracksSingh with Dr Ranade who performed a surgery the night of the accident amputating the little finger part of the middle and ring fingers of her left hand and the great toe of her right footThe miraculous escapeThree miracles occurred back to back on that uneventful morning in February Singh had boarded the ladies special and was on her way to her Fort office where she worked parttime as an accountant in the same company as her father Sterling Freights Pvt Ltd On that day the Fatka gang that operates along the railway tracks snatching phones of unsuspecting commuters had put a 17yearold novice on the job Around 915 am after the train left Sandhurst Road station Singh remembers walking up not too close to the footboard but enough to enjoy the nip in the air when a thick bamboo stick hit her forehead What followed was the first miracle I fell down from the running train hitting my head on the tracks While I had suffered severe blunt trauma to my head back and hand I managed to lift myself she saysDespite the pain she walked on the tracks trying to make sense of what had happened Everything was a haze My head was spinning and I couldnt see clearly she saysHad it not been for the blaring sound of an oncoming local from CST she wouldnt have known that a train was within proximity and on the same track that she was trudging on While she managed to step out in the nick of time miraculously saving herself from coming under the wheels her left hand and right foot were compromised Her fingers and foot were crushed under two bogeys before the local came to a grinding halt Singh was lifted by motorman Munalal Singh and railway guard Rajeev Nishad and rushed to JJ Hospital From here she was shifted to Bhatia Hospital where the final miracle was to unfoldDravita Singh with parents Hemant Kumar and Ishravati at their Kalyan home Her phone didnt suffer a single scratch in the mishap PicDatta KumbharOn a wing and a prayerDravita was admitted to the ICU with a head injury as well as crush injuries on her right foot and left hand She also suffered blunt trauma across her body with multiple friction abrasions says Dr Shailesh Ranade consulting plastic surgeon and coordinator of the burns unit at Bhatia Hospital in Tardeo Ranade says when he first saw the injuries they were ghastly The great toe of her right foot was detached hanging by a small skin tag The foot was in bad shape There was an extensive loss of skin and soft tissue of the sole as well as dorsum with multiple fractures to the bones he saysI was in a dilemma whether to amputate the foot or to make an effort to salvage it as the risk of the lifethreatening sepsis loomed largely he says adding But Dravita is young I have a daughter her age I couldnt imagine not giving this a chance and regretting it later I decided Id make an attempt to save the foot while keeping her under close observation If there was any suspicion of sepsis or spreading infection we told her family that we would amputate the limb without delay Ranade performed an emergency surgery on her the same night of the accident We had to amputate the little finger and part of the middle and ring fingers of her left hand due to severe crush injuries The great toe also had to be amputated he saysAlso read Mumbai Woman falls off train after being hit by Fatka gang thief loses finger part of limbThe worry of putting together finances also loomed On Ranades request Bhatia Hospital agreed to foot the entire bill for the treatment Over the next three weeks Singh underwent six surgeries including skin grafting on her right foot A vacuumassisted closure VAC therapy was used to reduce the bacteria and dead tissues in the wound on her foot Dravita underwent sessions of vigorous physiotherapy after the skin grafting was successful Ranade also counselled her for depression She faced multiple breakdowns She would swing between happy and sad in an instant To keep her in good spirits I would sing to herHoping to distract her Ranade insisted that her parents bring Singh her college textbooks so she could prepare for the TYBCom exams A month later she was discharged While she was given a walker she barely used it for a week and was able to take a few steps on her own Singh makes the journey from Kalyan to Tardeo twice a week for a dressing change Last month she managed to appear for the TYBCom exams at a centre in Ulhasnagar She confesses to us that she isnt her chirpy self yetI dont ever remember being afraid Now even the sound of crackers or staying alone at home instils a sense of fear A recurring dream of an approaching train wont go away she saysBut Singh has forgiven the 17yearold who was arrested the day after the accident and sent to a remand home He told the police mera nishana chook gaya He wanted to hit my hand but he hit my head she says Incidentally they found the phone which the teenager had managed to steal It doesnt have a single scratch on it she says wistfullyThe fears will take a while to conquer but Singh knows Ranade has given her what she needs to get there He gave me the confidence to get on that train I think I have conquered my biggest fearAlso read Mumbai 30yearold fatka theft accused faints in court diesCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates