The body of an e-rickshaw driver, who was swept away while trying to save a woman and her son from drowning in Delhi’s Meethapur canal, was found on Friday, 28 December, in Haryana.
Pawan Kumar Shah’s body was found in a canal in Ballabhgarh, his elder brother Pankaj Shah told The Quint, adding:
“I came to Ballabhgarh with police and identified by brother’s body, which will now be sent for post-mortem. His hands and legs are swelled up. His body will be taken back to our home tomorrow morning.”
On 22 December, at around 10 am in the morning, Pawan was waiting for passengers when he saw a woman with a baby in her arms jump into the Meethapur canal from the edge of a bridge near Madanpur Khadar village in south Delhi.
Pawan left his auto and jumped into the water to save the woman and the baby. Another e-rickshaw driver Nadeem also jumped into the canal after Pawan.
Nadeem and three other passersby rescued the woman and her child, but Pawan was swept away by the current.
Pawan’s mother, who is still hoping that her son will return, has not been informed about the body, Pankaj said.
Police believe that the woman had tried to kill herself along with her baby after a fight with her husband.
ASI Dharam Prakash from the Jaitpur police station said the process of acquiring compensation for the family will start after the post-mortem. Earlier. the police had said Pawan's name will be recommended for the Jiwan Raksha Padak.
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