After staving off a murderer, Gawande is a ‘selfie’ hero

NAGPUR: Until Friday, 32-year-old Vijay Gawande was just a school-van driver and pan kiosk owner. Today he is the toast of Zingabai Takli area after after a video clip of him staving off an armed Siddharth Awale’s murderous assault on his sister-in-law Vandana Kawde went viral on the social media. Congratulations are pouring in from unknown quarters and everyone wants a selfie with him.
Gawande, whose barehanded fight with Awale snatched Vandana’s life from the jaws of death, has given him celebrity status.It was his back grip on the assaulter with which Gawande blunted the attack. Once a regular at a local akhada, Gawande was untiringly explaining the fight to all those who wanted to know.
Gawande said his fight went on for around 20 minutes till the cops could arrive. “It was a horrible sight to see the man stabbing indiscriminately and the victim was already dripping blood from all over. As everyone was glued to the drama but no one budged, I had to do something,” he said.
“I made up my mind to take the attacker on single-handedly as I thought of the victim as someone like my sister,” said Gawande extending his bandaged palm for a handshake to whoever wanted to greet him.
Though rushing to intervene into a crisis is not new for either Gawande or his friends at the local citizens’ body of Shri Ram Yuva Mitra Parivar, Friday’s episode was the toughest one for him as he had to risk his life. The challenge, Gawande feels, was a better one to accept as it has even made his wife Sarika feel proud of him.
Dhiraj Pardhi, Dinesh Dharmare, Hemant Khade, Promod Mate, ex-cop Munna Thakur and others too rushed along with him to help. “Each one of us picked up a stick to surround the man. Our primary plan was to loosen his grip on the knife. I hurled my stick towards the man. He fell after being hit by it. I grabbed him from behind which started our grappling on the road. I intended to snatch the sharp weapon from him as he was threatening me too. My friends were raining blows on the assaulter but they were mostly landing on me. I was shrieking in pain but did not loosen my grip,” said Gawande.
“We somehow managed to make him drop the weapon. Someone picked it up too but dropped it back thinking cops may find his fingerprints on it. Hearing the noise, the man once again picked up the knife. It was then I grabbed it by the edge. My fingers too started bleeding but I made up my mind not to leave him until cops arrived,” he said.
“I will also ensure helping cops during the trial as a witness as well,” said Gawande.
‘Victim out of danger’
Vandana Kawade, injured in the knife attack by brother-in-law Siddharth Awale at Zingabai Takli’s Zenda Chowk on Friday, is learnt to be stable. She has been referred to the plastic surgery department of GMCH from Mayo hospital. Awale, arrested by Mankapur police which slapped him with attempt to murder, will be in custody till December 6.