Cops invoke murder charge; kin, neighbours in mourning

Thrissur/Kochi: Police on Wednesday invoked slapped charge against Odisha native Rajanikantha Ranajit (42), who allegedly killed TTE Vinod by pushing him out of a running train near Velappaya on Tuesday night. Rajanikantha was produced before Thrissur JFC magistrate Sandra Mary Netto who remanded him in judicial custody for two weeks. Earlier, railway police brought him to the crime scene where he nonchalantly described the manner in which he pushed Vinod out.Vinod’s autopsy was done at Thrissur medical college and preliminary report said he died due to the head injury he sustained in the fall. His legs were amputated when he was run over by a train passing on the second track. Rajanikantha, who worked as a cleaning staff in a Kunnamkulam bar, was terminated on Tuesday. “He worked for two months. He was drunk when he came to the hotel on Tuesday and his leg was injured. I asked accounts department to terminate him after paying his dues. He left saying he was going home,” said hotel manager George.Meanwhile a sombre mood enveloped the newly-built two-storeyed house named Lalitha Nivas in Manjummel where Vinod’s body was kept for public homage. In two months, he had become a familiar figure to the residents of Mythri Lane. Neighbours and colleagues recalled him as a person who left a lasting impression even if you met him once. “Vinod was jovial, full of energy. On the day he died he told me that he will return for the temple festival on Wednesday,” said his neighbour Sunil A. Sunil said he had no clue that Vinod had acted in movies (Pulimurugan, How Old Are You) as he never mentioned it. “Since I don’t watch films, I didn’t recognize him as an actor,” he said. Among the mourners were a group of boys from Manjummel who spent a considerable amount of time with him in the last two months. “He helped build a football pitch, bought footballs,” said Chandrasekhar D, a student at Guardian Angel school. They said he had promised to help them build a decent pitch.Sabareesh Dharmapalan a railway staff recalled Vinod’s humble beginnings as a mechanical staff at a diesel loco shed. Later, he became part of ticket checking squad before becoming a TTE. He said the death was a shock for them. Vinod’s body was cremated at a crematorium at Eloor. He is survived by mother Lalitha S and sister Sandhya Pradeep.