Man climbs gantry, dangles from high-tension wires at Maharashtra’s railway station; services hit for 40 minutes

MUMBAI: A mentally challenged man climbed onto a gantry and dangled from high-tension overhead wires at Manmad railway station in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, forcing authorities to shut down power and disrupting train services, officials said on Sunday. The incident occurred on Friday and a video of it has since surfaced on social media, according to news agency PTI. The footage shows the man moving across the station roof while railway staff and bystanders tried to rescue him. In the clip, anxious passengers can be seen gathered on the platforms as the half-naked man climbed the gantry and hung precariously from overhead equipment. Five to six people attempted to reach him and bring him down safely. Police and railway personnel remained on alert as the tense situation unfolded. Central Railway chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said the incident took place around 3 pm, when the man, believed to be in his 30s, first climbed onto a platform roof and later onto the gantry."Efforts were immediately made to rescue him by switching off power to the overhead equipment (OHE). During this period, a few trains were diverted from other platforms as a precautionary measure," he said. The situation continued for nearly 40 minutes before the man was safely brought down. Train services were briefly affected during the operation, but normalcy was restored soon after, officials added.