When UP mother fought bare-handed with crocodile to save her 5-year-old son

It was a fight no parent ever imagines, a mother taking on a crocodile to save her child. In a heart-stopping struggle that lasted nearly five minutes, 40-year-old Maya from Dhakia village in Uttar Pradesh battled a 7-foot reptile after it clamped its jaws around her five-year-old son, Veeru.

The attack happened on Monday evening when Veeru, playing near a village nullah, was suddenly seized by the crocodile. The reptile dragged him toward the water, but his screams alerted Maya. Without hesitation, she rushed in and threw herself into a fight with one of nature’s most powerful predators.

Maya later recalled the desperate struggle. “Without thinking about my life, I jumped in. The crocodile was pulling him down, but I held on with all my strength. I hit it, clawed at it, and refused to let go. Finally, it released my child after a blow from an iron rod I had grabbed,” she said. “My son survived, and that is what matters.”

Veeru suffered serious injuries from the crocodile’s bite, while Maya was left battered and bruised. Both were taken to a local health centre, where Veeru remains under treatment. Doctors say he is out of immediate danger but will need time to recover.

The drama has left Dhakia, around 150km north of Lucknow, deeply shaken. Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav assured the family that a special operation will be carried out to capture the crocodile. Villagers, however, continue to live in fear and are demanding safety measures such as barricades, patrols, and nets along the nullah.

For the people of Dhakia, Maya’s courage has turned her into a symbol of a mother’s strength. While fear lingers, one thing stands clear, the instinct to protect her child gave her the will to take on a predator feared across the world, and win.

Inputs from TOI