Varkala train attack: Kicked out of train for questioning smoking, CCTV visuals surface

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is reported that a tiff over questioning smoking cigarettes inside the train resulted in the accused kicking a woman out of a moving train in Varkala two days back. The accused Suresh revealed the reason after being questioned based on the CCTV footage of the general compartment of the Kerala Express.

The video shows the accused arguing with the girls and then pushing her off the train. With the CCTV footage in place, the accused confessed to the police that he tried to kick Sreekutty (20) and his friend Archana out of anger after the girls questioned him about smoking inside the general compartment. He had earlier told the railway police that he kicked Sreekutty because she did not moved away from the toilet door.

On Sunday, students Sreekutty and Archana boarded the general compartment of the Kerala Express from Aluva. Since they could not get seats, they stood near the door. Suresh Kumar and his friend Lalu boarded the same compartment from Kottayam. Before boarding the train, both of them had gone to bars in Athirampuzha and Nagampadam to consume liquor.

After a few hours of standing, Lalu got a seat to rest. Suresh went near the toilet to smoke, which the girls questioned. Due to the strong stench of alcohol, the two asked him to move away from their side and even threatened to call the police. This is said to have provoked the accused.

After failing to find a seat even after hours, the girls decided to sit on the steps near the door after the train passed Varkala. At this point, Suresh kicked Sreekutty in the back and pushed her out. He even tried to push Archana out of the train, but she held strong on Suresh’s legs. Other passengers who heard her screams caught Archana and dragged her into the train. Just before attacking, Suresh took a picture of the girls on his mobile phone without their knowledge. This was also obtained by the police. It is alleged that he attacked the girls with the intention of killing them.