Iftekaar Siddiqui Bhopal Gas Tragedy: The Railway Men is an Indian series inspired by the Bhopal Gas leak incident. The series portrays real-life personal stories and how individuals contributed to helping people on the day of the Bhopal Gas Leak.
One of them was Iftekaar Siddiqui, played by K.K. Menon. The character exhibited selfless behavior and put himself in danger to save more than thousands of lives on the night of the tragedy.
Is Iftekaar Siddiqui Based on a Real-life Person?
K.K. Menon’s character Iftekaar Siddiqui is based on the real-life hero Ghulam Dastagir, the station master at the Bhopal junction. The Railway Men drew inspiration from Ghulam Dastagir and re-fictionalized it. Ghulam Dastagir had two sons who lived in Bhopal, and unfortunately, they died in the Bhopal Gas leak. Ghulam saved thousands of lives but lost his own sons.
Is Ghulam Dastagir Dead or Alive?
In the series, K.K. Menon’s character Iftekaar came into contact with the poisonous gas and faints. He later woke up in the mortuary, indicating that he lived to see many more years after the gas leak. However, there is no proof of Ghulam Dastagir being alive. Some said that he got skin and throat infections, while others say he may have died that night.
Did Ghulam Dastagir Not Save a Child?
In the Netflix series, Iftekaar Siddiqui was unsuccessful in saving a boy’s life because he prioritized his own life instead of that boy. This resulted in the boy falling into the water and dying, causing lifelong trauma for Iftekaar, who always had nightmares about it.
It might not have happened with Ghulam Dastagir. In addition, Ghulam Dastagir was an unsung hero, an unknown person. So, I don’t think the writer found anything to write about Ghulam Dastagir’s intentions to save more lives than his own.
Also Read:Â Jagmohan Kumawat Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Real Name, Image, Story
In the end, it’s good to see K.K. Menon’s character redeeming himself after the incident.