Agra boy, 10, gets PM Bal Puraskar for saving father from crocodile

The class four student saved his father, Veerbhan, on July 25 when a crocodile dragged him into the Chambal river. Veerbhan had taken his goats to graze and went to the river to drink water. “Ajay rushed into the water with a stick and kept striking the crocodile. He struck the crocodile in the eyes and pulled me back,” Veerbhan recalled.

Ajay Raj, a 10-year-old from Jharnapura village in Bah tehsil, about 70 kilometres from Agra city, received the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar from President Droupadi Murmu on Friday for his bravery in rescuing his father from a crocodile attack.

Ajay Raj received the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar from President Droupadi Murmu on Friday for his bravery in rescuing his father from a crocodile attack. (Sourced)

The class four student saved his father, Veerbhan, on July 25 when a crocodile dragged him into the Chambal river. Veerbhan had taken his goats to graze and went to the river to drink water.

“Ajay rushed into the water with a stick and kept striking the crocodile. He struck the crocodile in the eyes and pulled me back,” Veerbhan recalled.

At the award ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Ajay interacted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed his desire to become a soldier.

“The Prime Minister asked my name and where I came from. I told him about the incident and he listened patiently,” Ajay said.

“I will leave no effort in helping my son fulfil his dream,” Veerbhan said after returning to the village on Saturday.