Collector turns hero, saves a life

IAS official lives by Hippocratic Oath

Daman Collector Dr Rakesh Minhas stops his car by the roadside sensing urgency, administers first aid to save life of one of the two persons electrocuted by high-tension wire in Dadra and Nagar Haveli on Monday

In an exemplary show of the Hippocratic Oath being put in action by an IAS official, the Collector of the Union Territory (UT) of Daman, a surgeon by education, stopped his vehicle by the roadside and rushed to administer first aid to two men who had been electrocuted by high-tension wire in Dadra and Nagar Haveli on Monday.

It was by happenstance that Dr Rakesh Minhas, a 2016-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of AGMUT cadre (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories), was passing by Athal village near Haveli Farms, on the way to Daman from Silvassa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, when he saw a crowd gathered around two persons lying on the ground.

Dr Minhas rushed out of his vehicle and administered first aid to the grievously injured men, one of whom died despite his quick response. The other was given medical help by Dr Minhas till an ambulance arrived at the spot and ferried him to a local hospital.

The two workers were attempting to attach the hook of a crane to a truck that had slid down the road due to heavy rains in the region. While they were doing this, the crane came in contact with the high-tension wire and electrocuted the two workers. They fell to the ground, seriously injured, and just a few minutes later Dr Minhas passed by the spot.

Speaking to Mirror, Dr Minhas said, "I first rushed to the man who was less injured. Upon administering CPR, he recovered in about five minutes. I moved on to the other man, but he had a grievous head wound and had lost a lot of blood. Despite first aid, I believe, he passed away."

Locals as well as netizens hailed the IAS officer for his quick response and attitude when faced with such a situation. The photographs of his swift action quickly went viral on social media in the union territory and even in Gujarat.

While relatively unknown in Gujarat, Dr Rakesh Minhas is much celebrated in other parts of the country, especially in his home state of Punjab and former joint cadre of Assam-Meghalaya as a dedicated officer and feminist. He is one of few male IAS officers who have changed their cadre to join their wives at their posting.

Daman and Diu to have CPR training for govt staff
Just like in Gujarat, where Chief Secretary J N Singh ordered CPR training for all government employees after the death of an official on duty, this incident has given Dr Minhas the impetus to do the same in Daman. He said, “Following this incident, I have realised that you never know when one might need the skills to save someone’s life. I saw one person dying because out of more than 100 people gathered there, not one could help the injured due to lack of training. We will aim to change that soon.” Dr Minhas said one of the primary reasons he had joined the civil services was to improve rural healthcare.