Most trains operating in Kerala lack security personnel, safety of passengers: Report

By Aishwarya Nair | First Published Apr 4, 2024, 10:24 AM IST

Asianet News' series 'Ashubhayatra' continues, exploring the experiences of train passengers. From not deploying security personnel in trains to reducing the number of general compartments, the railways, and the police have continued to be complacent.

Kochi: After the train arson case in Elattur, Kozhikode and the murder of TTE Vinod in Thrissur, the insecurity of train travel has sparked debates again. From not deploying security personnel in trains to reducing the number of general compartments, the railways, and the police have continued to be complacent. Asianet News' series 'Ashubhayatra' continues, exploring the experiences of train passengers.

TTE death case: Thrissur court remands accused for 14 days; autopsy report out

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Asianet News' series 'Ashubhayatra' raises the question of who is responsible for the repeated murders including Soumya while returning from work in 2011, and TTE Vinod's murder while at work on the train in 2024.

Passengers express concerns over the apparent indifference of authorities towards train safety in the state, citing the lack of security personnel on most trains and malfunctioning CCTV cameras at railway stations. Additionally, passengers lament the distress caused by the reduction in the number of general compartments.

A TTE tragically lost his life after being pushed from a running train by a passenger in Thrissur. The deceased K Vinod was pushed by a migrant worker Rajanikant at Vellappaya, between Mulangunnathukavu and Wadakkanchery railway stations. The accused who did not have a ticket argued with the TTE and asked him to get down in the next station.

The eyewitnesses stated that the accused verbally abused the TTE. The witness described the attack as sudden and unexpected, leaving everyone terrified.

One of the eyewitnesses further explained that the TTE had asked the accused to pay a fine for not having a ticket, leading to a verbal altercation during which the accused insulted the TTE and his family in Hindi.

The Thrissur Judicial Magistrate Court has remanded Rajanikanth for 14 days. The accused has been shifted to Viyyur jail and has been booked with a murder case by the police. The autopsy report states that the accused pushed Vinod from the train intending to kill him and the cause of death was a severe head injury.

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