Thiruvananthapuram: CCTV footage from inside the Kerala Express coach has emerged as crucial evidence in the case of the assault on a young girl. The Railway Police investigation team obtained footage showing the accused, Suresh Kumar, physically kicking and pushing Sreekutty out of the train.

The video also captures Suresh attempting to grab Sreekutty’s friend, Archana, by the leg and push her out. Other passengers intervened after hearing Archana’s screams as she clung to a bar, preventing further harm.

According to police, the incident was provoked after the girls questioned the man for smoking inside the train. Passengers present on the day of the attack also reported that Suresh, who was intoxicated, had been drinking inside the coach. Authorities noted that if a live monitoring system, such as the one on the Vande Bharat Express, had been in place, police could have intervened immediately. However, the Kerala Express only has recorded footage, not live streaming.

Suresh Kumar had repeatedly claimed that another man, (a “Bengali”) was responsible for the attack. During interrogation on Monday, he partially confessed. The recently obtained CCTV footage, recovered from the general compartment and held at Kochuveli railway station for two days following the incident, confirms him as the assailant. Police are also collecting statements from other passengers present in the coach.

The attack occurred around 8:45 PM on Sunday (November 2, 2025) in the general compartment of the Thiruvananthapuram-bound Kerala Express. Sreekutty, 19, a resident of Palode, suffered a fractured skull and a broken spine after being kicked and thrown from the train. She remains under treatment in the intensive care unit of the Medical College Hospital.