On Tuesday morning, the villagers of Madipelli hamlet in Karimnagar district woke up to witness the heroics of K. Srujan Reddy (Circle Inspector of Jammikunta Mandal), who demonstrated great bravery to save the lives of two people.
In a bid to revive an abandoned well, the two villagers — Gollala Mallaiah and Marepally Ravinder — went deep into it. Later, they got stuck mid-way in the well. However, the daredevilry of the 37-year-old cop ensured that both of them got rescued.
Recalling how it all happened, Srujan states, “Around 10 am, some villagers called and alerted me that two people were trapped in a well. I immediately alerted the Fire Services department and rushed to the spot.”
While all the villagers were waiting for someone to rescue the two inside the well, Srujan took the onus upon himself and got into the 60 ft deep well. “I did not have anything in my mind and was only concerned about those two lives,” he states.
Srujan got into the well only to find the two villagers suffocating, unconscious and struggling for breath. “I asked people to send a rope inside and tied it to them. After I came up, we started pulling the rope but it was very difficult to bring them up. Even the firefighters couldn’t pull them out,” shares Srujan, adding, “I then got into the well again and started pushing the two people up so that they could come out with the help of the ladder and rope.”
Throughout the 20-minute ordeal, the gathered villagers were tense and praying for the two lives. “But the entire village was ecstatic to see them emerge safely,” adds Srujan who further reveals that job satisfaction is the greatest gift one can have. “I feel gratified and the elation of the villagers was beyond words.”
In hindsight, Srujan states that youth should come forward and exhibit their character. “I want people to feel responsible instead of waiting for someone else to do the job, particularly the youth. Some people don’t even dial 100 during road accidents,” he appeals.
The State Home Minister has since appreciated Srujan’s act of bravery and recommended his name for a reward. However, accolades apart, Srujan admits that his family was very anxious for his own well-being and later scolded him for the daredevil attempt. “But my focus was only on the lives of those two people then,” he asserts.
Policeman Srujan Reddy risked his own life to save two people who were trapped in an abandoned well
