KOCHI: The trial in the 2011 murder of K Indu, a research scholar at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kozhikode, began before the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court on Tuesday, with four witnesses being examined.
Indu, 25, a native of Kumarapuram in Thiruvananthapuram, was allegedly pushed from a moving train into the Aluva river after she refused to marry K Subhash, according to the prosecution. Subhash, then an assistant professor at NIT Kozhikode, was arrested by the Crime Branch in connection with the murder. The incident occurred around 2 am on April 25, 2011, while Indu was travelling to Kozhikode from Thiruvananthapuram.
The witnesses examined on Tuesday were Indu’s father Krishnan Nair, mother Omana Kunjamma, maternal aunt Baby Kuttiyamma and her husband Gopinathan Nair. Special Public Prosecutor M A Jose Manavalan appeared for the prosecution. Judge K K Balakrishnan is hearing the case.
Indu had boarded the Mangaluru Express from Thiruvananthapuram for Kozhikode on April 24, 2011. She went missing during the journey and her body was later recovered from the Aluva River. The incident was initially suspected to be a suicide. However, a subsequent Crime Branch investigation alleged that Subhash had pushed Indu from the moving train while it was crossing the Periyar bridge at Aluva. Subhash allegedly killed Indu because her marriage had been fixed with a man named Abhishek.
According to the chargesheet, Subhash travelled with Indu from Thiruvananthapuram and asked her to reach Kozhikode, register their marriage and leave for Sikkim. However, Indu rejected the proposal. After realising that she was firm on marrying Abhishek, Subhash allegedly decided to kill her.
The chargesheet alleges that Subhash called Indu on the pretext of having a conversation and pushed her through an open door of the train into the Aluva river.