Meerut hero loses battle against death

JAVED, THE class 12 student who saved the life of at least four children and got burnt himself in the consumer fair inferno here on Monday, today succumbed to his injuries in Safdarjung Hospital of Delhi.

Recognising his valour, the State Government announced a ‘bravery reward’  of  Rs 5 lakh (to be given to his kin) even as the Indian Council for Child Welfare in Delhi, has recommended his name to the centre for a bravery award.

Senior Programme Officer of the ICCW Anuradha Bajaj contacted the Hindustan Times in Meerut to know more about Javed so that it could forward his details to the award recommendation committee .

The Hindustan Times had published Javed’s story of exemplary courage shown during the devastating fire. Without caring for his life, he saved the lives of four children before he collapsed, injured. He was brought to Sushila Jaswant Rai Hospital on Monday evening with 80 per cent burn injuries. “We did our best to save Javed, who was taken to Safdurjung Hospital on Wednesday evening by his relatives”, said Dr Rajeev Aggarwal.

According to Dr Rajeev, the saved children and their parents narrated to him the story of Javed’s valor. Thereafter, his name was mentioned to Minister of State for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal when he visited the hospital to see the injured.

Javed had put up a stall of medical equipment along with his friend Arif Choudhary at the fair. When the blaze broke out Arif came out from the fire trap but Javed decided to save the lives of the trapped children. While talking to Hindustan Times Arif recalled that when he asked Javed to run for his life, he refused.

When Javed was in Meerut hospital, someone from there rang up his family in Mandawali locality of Delhi to give the heart-rending news.

Then his father Mizaz and his younger son Raja came to take care of Javed at the Sushila Jaswant Rai hospital.