Nine-month-old Shanti miraculously survived unscathed when a train passed over her at an unmanned crossing near Bahargaon village, Itaunja, in Lucknow on Wednesday afternoon.

While Raju, her father, was run over by the train and died on the spot, her mother, Guddi, sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment in the Trauma Centre of CSMMU, Lucknow.

A resident of Barabanki, Raju along with his wife and daughter, was on his way to meet his brother Ram Das Gupta, the gram pradhan of Chilgaon. According to Sanjay, a tea-stall owner and eyewitness, Raju lost control of the motorcycle when he saw the approaching train.

“The train ran over him. His wife, who was holding the baby, was thrown away and suffered grievous injuries. But the baby fell in between the train tracks and escaped miraculously,” said Sanjay. 

The youngest and the most loved of the five children, Shanti has earned the title of a miracle baby. “It was nothing short of a wonder. She was virtually run over by a train. No one could have survived this,” said Prabhat, another eyewitness.

“She has been crying since the accident. She is certainly traumatised and is longing for her mother,” said her aunt Suman Devi, making all attempts to hush the kid.

Even among the mourners, there is a great interest in meeting the infant. With this incident, the issue of unmanned level crossings is again set to hog the limelight.