Kozhikode train arson: suspect hospitalised with symptoms of jaundice

Sharukh Saifi was also found to be suffering from multiple burn injuries sustained from the train fire on April 2.

The prime suspect in the Kozhikode train arson case, Sharukh Saifi, was admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (MCH) on Thursday after being diagnosed with jaundice during a medical check-up as part of legal proceedings.

He was also found to be suffering from multiple burn injuries sustained from the fire on April 2. Before taking Saifi to the hospital, the State’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) had carried out its first round of interrogations at the Armed Reserve Camp to elicit the motive behind the train arson. Although his bodily injuries were not found to be serious during preliminary check-up at the hospital, lab tests confirmed liver inflammation and jaundice.

Police sources said the interrogation could only be resumed once further medical reports about his fitness were available. The Railway Police had already registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 326-A (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid, etc.), and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance), as well as Section 151 of the Railways Act, which pertains to damage to or destruction of certain railway properties.

Saifi, a native of Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, who was brought back to Kozhikode from the custody of the Maharashtra Special Investigation Team on Thursday, was accused of setting fellow passengers on fire on the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express near Elathur in Kozhikode on April 2.

The incident resulted in three fatalities and left nine other passengers with burn injuries. The suspect himself suffered burns in the fire and sustained injuries to his forehead after falling from a train near Khed, Ratnagiri, while trying to escape to Ajmer. Police sources said that more evidence in the case would be collected once Saifi was in custody. On Thursday, dramatic scenes unfolded in the city as the police made equal security arrangements at the MCH and the Kozhikode Government General Hospital to facilitate Saifi’s medical check-up. The location was finalised at the last moment to address safety concerns and avoid overcrowding of the public in the area.

Meanwhile, the police team entrusted with transporting the suspect from Maharashtra to Kerala drew flak for the “poor safety measures” that they adopted during the road trip and the two glitches they encountered in Kannur district. While transporting the accused, a tyre of the car unexpectedly burst. An alternate vehicle hired to resume the journey was also found to be mechanically unfit. Later, a private vehicle was hired from Kannur to take him to the AR camp in Kozhikode. Despite this, senior police officers dismissed allegations of any unmanageable hazards on the way.