A 35-year-old youth, who runs a fast-food stall at Chachanda village in Murshidabad’s Samserganj, cycled to Malda Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday to collect a medical report of his mother who has severe spinal pain.

To reach the Malda hospital and back, Mizanur Rahaman pedalled over 150km.

Mizanur had no choice. Public transport is off roads because of stricter restrictions imposed in the state to rein in the pandemic. The other option was to hire a car, beyond his reach.

Mizanur’s mother Fatema Biwi, 65, had undergone the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test at the Malda hospital on May 11 and the report had to be collected on Sunday. The restrictions had come into effect then. Mizanur decided to cycle to Malda seeing Fatema in pain. Her doctor had already said her treatment could not start without the report.

“I took my mother to Malda hospital for a free MRI scan on May 11. I was told to come after five days to collect the report. The stricter restrictions derailed my plans of collecting the report on Sunday. But seeing my mother in pain I decided to cycle to Malda on Wednesday,” said Mizanur.

Malda is around 75 km from Chachanda village and many residents of Samserganj block depend on Malda as Murshidabad district headquarters Behrampore is around 82km away.

“I could not wait as my mother was in pain,” the youth said when asked if it was wise to cycle 150km in the peak of summer.

Mizanur earns around Rs 3,500 a month from his fast food stall which goes towards taking care of his family of his mother, two children and wife.

On Wednesday, he left home at 6am and reached Malda at 10.30am. After collecting the report, he left Malda around 11.30am and pedalled for over four hours to reach the residence of Dr Shakil Ahmed at Tarapur village in Samserganj.

“I returned home with medicines he had prescribed,” he said.

Dr Ahmed said that the report indicated a fracture in Fatema’s spine. The doctor, who is posted at the district’s Suti block hospital and treats patients for free, said: “It is praiseworthy that someone could pedal all the way to Malda to collect the report.”

Fatema was overcome with emotion: “My son did not tell me about his plan. I cried when he came back with the report and told me how he got it.”

Moved by the son’s devotion, Samserganj BDO Krishna Chandra Munda said: “We will help him in future if he needs further treatment for his mother.”