Kerala Police nabs migrant worker for TTE's murder on train

Thrissur (Kerala), Apr 3 (PTI) A migrant worker from Odisha accused of killing a Travelling Ticket Examiner by allegedly pushing him out of a moving train here has been arrested, police said on Wednesday.

Rajanikanta, a native of Ganjam in Odisha, was picked up from nearby Palakkad district soon after the incident last evening and his arrest was recorded today, they said. He was travelling without a ticket on the train.

The incident occurred on a Patna-bound train that originated from Ernakulam.

The victim K Vinod (48), a TTE from Ernakulam, died after he was allegedly pushed out from the moving train.

It is suspected that another train traveling in the opposite direction ran over his body after he was allegedly pushed out by the accused near Velappaya area under the Thrissur Medical College police station limits.

The postmortem of the deceased man was completed at the Government Medical College Hospital here in the evening.

According to Medical College sources, the grave injury on the head, which he suffered in the fall from the moving train, and the excessive bleeding due to the legs severed suspectedly after running over by another train were the reasons for his death.

As per the FIR registered, the accused deliberately pushed the on-duty TTE with the intention of killing him.

As Rajanikanta was found traveling without a ticket, the TTE asked him to pay a penalty, which enraged him.

"The TTE was standing near the door, and the accused, with an intention of killing him, pushed him out from behind with his hands," the FIR said.

The Thrissur Railway police registered the case based on the complaint of a fellow passenger named Rajesh Kumar, who sells products on board the train.

"The TTE was standing near the door and was speaking over the phone. He was apparently registering a complaint against the accused as he travelled without the ticket. He suddenly pushed the TTE out of the moving train from behind with all his strength," Rajesh told the media.

He said he was shocked to see the brutal crime in front of him, and two other passengers, hailing from Assam, were also witness to it.

"I suddenly ran to find the two other TTEs who were sitting in the nearby compartment and informed the police. We all together managed to bring the accused under control and later handed him over to the police when the train reached Palakkad," Rajesh said.

He also recalled that Vinod was a very good officer, and he had a cordial relationship with him for many years.

The accused has been booked under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today said Vinod's tragic death while he was on official duty was "very painful".

In a condolence message, the CM said he was sharing the grief of Vinod 's family members and friends and assured that steps would be taken to provide deserved punishment to the accused. PTI