Leadership development is a cornerstone of military training, where it is taught not only how to follow orders but also how to make split-second decisions under pressure and take initiative when required. Even in civilian life, these values hold, shaping behaviour & actions.

I chanced upon this video which recounts an incident involving a retired soldier of the Indian Army (Gorkha Rifles) who displayed exemplary bravery during a train dacoity.

On September 2, 2010, Naik Bishnu Shrestha embarked on a journey aboard the Maurya Express, heading home after retiring as a Naik (Corporal). Little did he know that the tranquility of his train ride would soon be shattered.

As the night enveloped the train, it came to an abrupt halt within the dense jungles of West Bengal. In a chilling turn of events, armed assailants infiltrated the compartments from all directions. Threatening everyone with knives, clubs, and swords, they instilled fear among the passengers. Suddenly, the situation took a dire turn when the assailants targeted an 18-year-old girl, intending to subject her to a horrific fate before her helpless parents.

Unable to bear witness to this, Bishnu sprang into action. Drawing his Khukri, he confronted the robbers. Using one of the assailants as a human shield, he swiftly incapacitated three of them and inflicted severe injuries upon eight others.

The remaining perpetrators fled in the face of his relentless assault. The harrowing ordeal ended after the train came to a halt at the next station, where authorities and emergency personnel awaited. Bishnu was promptly transported to the hospital, where it took two months for him to recuperate.

The grateful family of the girl he saved, offered him a monetary reward which he declined, declaring, “Fighting the enemy in battle is my duty as a soldier. Taking on the thugs on the train was my duty as a human being.”

This valiant soldier proved that leaders don’t wait for orders; they act decisively when confronted with crisis.