Kerala Health Minister Veena George has directed the formation of a medical board to ensure advanced treatment for 19-year-old Sreekutty, who was critically injured after being pushed from a moving train in Varkala. The Superintendent of the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram has been tasked with constituting the board.

Sreekutty’s mother, Priyadarshini, had earlier appealed for better medical care for her daughter. “I need my daughter alive, no matter where she is treated. She is on ventilator support. I was told there are around 20 wounds on her body, including two serious injuries on her head,” she said, adding that she has often witnessed inebriated passengers causing trouble on trains.

The incident happened on Sunday night when Sreekutty and her friend Archana were travelling in the general coach of the Kerala Express from Aluva to Thiruvananthapuram. After the train left Varkala station, Suresh, 48, of Panachamoodu, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, attacked the two women. He kicked Sreekutty, causing her to fall from the moving train, and then attempted to push Archana, who managed to escape.

Police later found Sreekutty lying between the railway tracks near a school ground, about 100 metres from the Pazhayachantha bridge and 50 metres before the Ayanthi bridge. She was first taken to a nearby private hospital and later shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital for further treatment.

Priyadarshini, speaking to the media, also expressed anguish over the lack of safety for women travellers, saying, “There is no security inside trains.”