About 10 years ago, when Shiva Ilias Hanumanthu lost his adopted brother Pavan. He died while trying to save a... Read More

HYDERABAD: It was about a decade ago when Shiva Ilias Hanumanthu lost his adopted brother Pavan. He died while trying to save a suicide victim. “They both drowned,” recalls Shiva, who has since taken up the mission to save people who try to end their life by jumping into Hussainsagar . Over the past few years, Shiva has prevented at least 110 suicides, and recovered countless bodies from the lake — those that he couldn’t save.

“Only a week ago, a man jumped into Hussainsagar around 11am. On seeing him, a police constable jumped in to save him... Eventually, I had to go in to save both,” says Shiva, giving us a glimpse of his usual day that’s spent patrolling around the lake in a vehicle recently donated by a Good Samaritan, after hearing about his work. A retired officer also come forward to pay him a monthly remuneration of Rs 5,000. Shiva lives close to the lake in a tent, with his wife and a young child.

Last year, he saved a 90-year-old woman. “She was from a well-to-do family, and said she didn’t want to be a burden to her children,” the 34-year-old says. “I have seen so many women who come here, often with their small children, to commit suicide after fight with their husbands.”

But the job isn’t child’s play. Shiva was grievously injured twice — in 2014 and 2016 — while trying to rescue people who jumped in the lake. “The first time, I jumped into the lake to save a person and a sharp iron rod pierced left of my chest and shoulder. I went to Gandhi Hospital myself. Another time, it was 2am when a boy jumped into the lake, with no ropes. I jumped to save him, but a nail pierced my leg,” he says, confessing to the lack of safety gear at his disposal. “If the government provides safety gear, I can do a better job and save more people,” Shiva says.

But he doesn’t ask for a fee or reward, for retrieving bodies or saving lives. He takes whatever police officials offer voluntarily. “I sometimes take up small side roles in Telugu films to make some extra bucks,” he says.

