A potentially tragic incident was narrowly avoided in the Fazilka district of Punjab on Wednesday when a young Sikh volunteer found himself trapped at a dizzying height of over 90 feet while performing a sacred duty.
A Perilous Morning Ritual
The incident occurred at the Gurudwara Sahib in Gidranwali village, located in the Abohar subdivision. Awjot Singh, a 20-year-old resident of the village, had climbed the tall pole at 8 am to perform the seva (selfless service) of changing the 'chola' or cloth covering of the 'Nishan Sahib', the Sikh religious flag. However, during the task, a critical supporting hook on the wire mechanism broke, leaving him stranded with no safe way to descend.
Five Hours of Agony in Biting Cold
What followed was a harrowing five-hour ordeal for the young man. He remained suspended high above the ground, exposed to harsh winter conditions. The area was experiencing dense fog, gusty winds, and biting cold, with temperatures ranging between 10°C to 15°C. As news of his predicament spread, panic gripped the village, and locals immediately rallied to find a way to bring him down safely.
In a concerning turn of events, when the local administration and fire brigade were contacted, they reportedly lacked the specialized equipment required for a rescue operation from such an extreme height. This administrative helplessness prompted the villagers to take matters into their own hands.
Community and Army to the Rescue
The determined villagers first attempted to construct a makeshift structure using collected shuttering materials to create stairs. When this initial effort proved unsuccessful, they spread a large net below Awjot Singh as a crucial safety precaution to catch him in case of a fall.
The breakthrough came when an Army jawan arrived at the scene. Recognizing the complexity of the rescue, he arranged for a special crane capable of reaching heights of about 100 feet. The crane was summoned all the way from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan. Using this machinery, the rescue team was finally able to safely bring down the exhausted volunteer after his prolonged exposure.
Following the rescue, Awjot Singh was promptly taken to the civil hospital in Abohar for a medical examination. Dr. Mahesh, the duty medical officer, stated that while the youth's vital signs were stable, he was kept under medical observation for a few hours as a precautionary measure. This was due to the extreme stress of being stuck at such a height for over five hours in the chilling cold.
The incident has highlighted both the community's spirit in the face of adversity and the critical need for local emergency services to be equipped for high-altitude rescue scenarios, especially in regions with tall religious and community structures.
