KANPUR, July 10 -- Major Rohit Bachwala, a medical officer in the Indian Army, has earned widespread admiration after he helped a pregnant woman deliver a baby girl on the foot-over bridge at Virangana Laxmibai Jhansi Railway Station using improvised tools-including a pocket knife, hair clip and dhoti-on July 5.

Chief of army staff general Upendra Dwivedi on Monday commended Major Bachwala for going "beyond the call of duty" to save lives. The Army praised his swift, selfless action, which ensured the safety of both the mother and her newborn in extremely challenging circumstances.

The dramatic incident unfolded on Saturday when Major Bachwala, posted at the Military Hospital in Jhansi, was en route to platform number two to board a tra...