'Saw news about daughter while scrolling Instagram feed'; Priyadarshini shattered over Varkala train attack case

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When Priyadarshini saw the news of a girl being pushed out of a moving train on Instagram, she didn’t think much about it but felt sad for the victim. It didn’t occur to her that the attacked woman was none other than her daughter, Sona. It was only after a call from her son Sreehari, now residing in Bengaluru, that Priyadarshini came to learn about the horrific news.

Priyadarshini's family does not own even a cent of land. Priyadarshini and her mother live in a small rented house in Palode. When Sona was three years old, Priyadarshini’s husband moved out of the family, forcing her to toil hard to bring up the children.

Recently, Sona married Appu, a resort employee from Aluva, after a brief dating. They then lived in Aluva. Priyadarshini, a swimming expert, now takes classes to students at a private school in Bengaluru along with her son Sreehari. Sona had come to Bengaluru to meet Priyadarshini last week. Two days later, she also reached her grandmother's house in Palode.

Sona was on her way to Thiruvananthapuram from Aluva when the attacker kicked her out of the moving train while she was returning to her seat after using the toilet. Sona's husband, Appu, is in the Ayurvedic hospital suffering from jaundice. He is not in a state to visit Sona in the hospital.

Sona’s family has recently applied to the 'Mannum Veedum' scheme and is financially struggling, said Shailaja Rajeevan, president of Nandiyod Grama Panchayat.