A 60-year-old man displayed extraordinary presence of mind and courage on Friday morning when he jumped off a railway bridge into a river, clutching his six-year-old granddaughter, to escape an oncoming train — saving both their lives in a split-second act of desperation and bravery.

The incident occurred around 10am on the railway bridge over the Kalnagini river near Kakdwip railway station in Sealdah-Namkhana stretch under Sealdah south section in South 24-Parganas district.

Sadhan Das, a resident of Akshaynagar-Shivpur under the jurisdiction of Hardwood Point Coastal police station, had taken a shortcut to the station by walking along the railway tracks with his granddaughter, Deepsikha Debnath.

As they crossed the narrow single-track bridge, Das suddenly spotted the Namkhana local train hurtling
towards them.

With no space on the bridge to step aside and a 300-foot drop to the river below, Das made a life-or-death decision. Holding Deepsikha tightly in his arms, he leapt from the bridge into the water — a fall few would have survived without serious injury.

Eyewitnesses standing at the far end of the track anticipated a terrible accident and tried to alert him. But they left stunned by the man’s composure and instinct. As the train bore down on them, he kept his mind steady and jumped, choosing a near-impossible chance at life over certain death.

Local fishermen on the riverbank saw the dramatic plunge and immediately dived into the water. After a brief search, they pulled the grandfather and child from the river and rushed them to Kakdwip subdivisional hospital. Both are now in a stable condition and recovering.

“It is unbelievable. The man saved his own life and the child’s just by keeping his brain cool. Had he not jumped, both would have been run over by the train,” said Anal Biswas, a resident who witnessed the rescue.

Police and residents confirmed that many people often take the risky shortcut across the bridge to reach Kakdwip station, avoiding a one-kilometre detour.

“The bridge stretch has a single rail line and is dangerously narrow. It’s very close to the station and obviously not meant for pedestrians. We’ve tried to discourage people from using it, but necessity often outweighs fear,” said a police officer.

Hospital sources said the child swallowed some water during the fall and is recovering from trauma. Das reportedly told doctors that he knew how to swim and jumped only to save the girl’s life.