Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Heroic Indian policeman runs 1km with live bomb to protect 400 children

'My only aim was to carry the bomb as far away as possible from there,' says officer Abhishek Patel

Andrew Lowry
Wednesday 30 August 2017 16:31 BST
Comments
Abhisek Patel
Abhisek Patel (ANI)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A policeman who carried an unexploded bomb away from a school for almost one kilometre has been given a bravery award in India.

The device was found in the playground of a school in the small town of Chitora in Uttar Pradesh state. It is attended by around 400 pupils.

The origins of the bomb are unknown, but there is an army range nearby.

Following its discover, the bomb squad was unavailable. So risking his life, officer Abhisek Patel picked up the 10kg device and ran it away from the pupils.

“Since it was a residential area and a school compound, my only aim was to carry the bomb as far away as possible from there,” officer Patel told NDTV. “We have learnt during our training that had it exploded, it would have damaged 500 metres of the surrounding area."

He added: "I thought that 400 lives are much more valuable than a single life."

The officer received a reward of 50,000 INR (£600) for his act of bravery.

His team were also commended for their bravery and quick thinking.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in