Emotional farewell to TTE who was pushed to death from train

Hundreds pay respects to TTE Vinod, pushed to death by migrant worker, sparking protests for TTE safety measures.

Hundreds turned up to pay their last respects to V. Vinod, travelling ticket examiner (TTE) who was allegedly pushed to death from a running train by a migrant worker, at his residence at Manjummal here on (April 3) Wednesday afternoon.

People from all walks of life, including his colleagues, could not hold their tears as his body was taken out of the ambulance. His mother and family members wept inconsolably as they struggled to come to terms with the gruesome incident that occurred at Velappaya, between Mulangunnathukavu and Wadakkanchery stations, on (April 2) Tuesday night. Rajanikanth, who was travelling without a ticket, allegedly pushed Vinod from the Ernakulam-Patna Express after an argument broke out between them.

Vinod had assured his neighbours that he would return on Wednesday morning to attend a festival at the nearby temple. He had moved to his new house only in February along with his mother. The 48-year-old was passionate about movies and had acted in movies including Gangster, Pulimurugan, Ennum Eppozhum, and Nalla Nilavulla Rathri. He was also interested in mimicry and theatre.

Meanwhile, a protest was staged by TTEs at the Ernakulam South railway station on Wednesday condemning the attack on their colleague and demanding improved measures to ensure the safety of ticket examiners. They expressed concern over the rising incidents of attacks on TTEs, especially by people travelling without tickets. The number of TTEs should be increased in tune with the rise in number of passengers and coaches. The Railways must also enhance security for TTEs, they said.

The TTEs alleged that their grievances had not been resolved despite repeated pleas. “We had raised the need to deploy additional personnel of the Railway Police Force, especially on occasions when a gang or a group of drunk passengers had turned against a TTE. We should also realise the fact that women comprise about 30% of the TTEs under the Thiruvananthapuram division. They have also faced such unruly behaviour from ticketless passengers and miscreants,” they said.