THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The attack on a 19-year-old woman and her co-passenger by a man on board the Kerala Express on Sunday night was an act of vengeance and intended at killing them, the police have noted in the FIR.
As per the report filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Suresh Kumar, 50, kicked 19-year-old Sreekutty of Palode off the moving train as she did not move from the doorway, and then tried to throw her co-passenger Archana Vijayakumar off with the intention of murdering them.
The Railway Police has charged Suresh, a resident of Panachamoodu in rural Thiruvananthapuram, with attempt to murder. If required, more sections will be charged against him as investigation progresses, sources in the police said.
Sources in Panachamoodu, a border town near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, said Suresh, a painter, was a heavy drinker. As per the police, he was returning from Kottayam after inspecting a work site and was heavily drunk when he boarded the train. The cops have recorded statements of at least three passengers who identified him.
Sreekutty suffered grave head injuries in the attack and is under treatment at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital (MCH). Her condition remains serious. Health Minister Veena George on Monday ordered constituting a medical board for her treatment. The move came after Sreekutty’s mother Priyadarshini, while interacting with reporters earlier in the day, expressed dissatisfaction with the treatment being provided at the MCH and sought better care for her daughter.