Police probe if smoking dispute led to suspect pushing woman out of moving train in Kerala

Th Kerala police are reportedly probing whether a challenge to smoking on the train car had caused the allegedly alcohol-impaired Suresh Kumar to push Sreekutty, 19, out of a moving Kerala Express train, near Varkala, late Sunday. 

Meanwhile, Sreekutty, who sustained serious cranial and thoracic injuries in the fall, is battling for her life at the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. 

The police have reportedly received grainy video footage of the incident, possibly from a railway surveillance camera or mobile phone captures of co-passengers. Moreover, investigators have prepared a list of witnesses, including the victim’s travel companion Archana to conduct an identity parade to establish the accused’s purported culpability. 

According to the police, Suresh Kumar boarded the Kerala Express in Kottayam. They said Suresh Kumar had a history of violence and petty crime, including several run-ins with co-workers and neighbours. Sreekutty and Archana were travelling home from Aluva. They said Sreekutty was waiting near the door for Archana to return from the toilet when the fracas occurred. Suresh Kumar insisted that she move aside for him, possibly to smoke freely. 

The police said Suresh Kumar struck Sreekutty on the back with his foot, propelling her out of the running train. 

In a court filing, the police said the accused grappled with Archana and tried to eject her from the moving train, possibly to ensure there were no witnesses to the crime. Archana’s loud cries alerted fellow passengers, who pulled the alarm chain. The train ground to a halt, and soon local police and railway protection force members scoured the tracks and located an unconscious Sreekutty in the undergrowth. Archana was also injured in the melee. 

They termed the offence an alcohol-impaired felony. The police told the court that a medical examination revealed a high level of blood alcohol concentration. 

Officials suspect the accused had been hopping in and out of bar hotels since Sunday morning and could also have consumed more of the substance surreptitiously on the train. 

Meanwhile, the Government Railway Police (GRP) have stepped up patrolling on night trains, especially relatively empty general compartments and train cars reserved exclusively for women.