Kannur: Twenty-two-year-old V Devika from Kannur was first reported missing before her family learnt the tragic news that she had been killed after being hit by a bullet train in Japan, where she worked as a nursing assistant. Unable to bring her remains home or travel there, her family was left without a way to bid her a final farewell.

Help has now come from a Malayali community organisation in Japan, which is coordinating Devika’s funeral. Her last rites will be performed according to Hindu customs in Japan, livestreamed for her family in Kerala, and her ashes will be sent home after cremation. “We have a few North Indians working here who know Hindu funeral rituals. They will conduct the poojas, and we can send the ashes back to Kerala,” Ajay, a member of Nihon Kairali, a Malayali community organisation in Japan, told Onmanorama in a phone interview.

Devika, a native of Nediyodi in Padiyoor, Iritty, was struck by a bullet train at a railway crossing in Kakamigahara, Gifu, on September 2. Her body was dismembered in the accident. Officials identified her through an identity card found near the tracks and informed the Indian Embassy, which subsequently contacted her family. She had been working with a social welfare organisation in Gifu after arriving there on March 3 this year on a three-year contract.

Going to Japan had been her long-held dream. After completing Plus Two, she trained as a lab technician and worked in Iritty for six months. She later completed an eight-month Japanese language course at an academy in Nileshwar, Kasaragod, before securing the job through their agency. “Though she was recruited as a nursing assistant, she was actually doing nursing care there and had at least eight people to look after around the clock,” said her father, Prakashan Thekkan.

Devika last spoke to her family around 8.30 pm (Japan local time) on September 2, when she video called her mother to say she was going out to withdraw cash. She had been unwell for several days, and her mother had suggested that she go out the next morning instead. “She told her mother there was nothing to worry about and that Japan was not like here at night. When she did not call back, we became worried. There was no call or message the next day either,” Prakashan said.

The family was told it was not advisable to transport the dismembered body parts. The alternative was for relatives to travel to Japan for the funeral. “The company offered to arrange flight tickets for two family members. But we have the language barrier and other expenses to consider. Neither my wife nor I can speak Japanese or English, which is mandatory for travel, and we are not in a position to bear the additional costs,” said Prakashan, who works at a petrol pump in Iritty. His wife Beena is a tailor and dairy farmer. Neither Prakashan nor his wife has a passport as well.

Devika had often spoken to her family about the pressure of her job and her desire to return home. “She used to say that she could not bear the stress and wanted to come back. But she was on a three-year contract, and her documents were with the company. She was also working in a rural area where there were hardly any Malayalis,” Prakashan said.

“Another Malayali woman from Wayanad worked at the same company but lived about 2 km away. Devika stayed alone as per the rules there, while even basic groceries were expensive, prompting us to courier essential items. The last parcel was sent shortly before Onam,” Prakashan added.

Meanwhile, Ajay said police had informed them that Devika had jumped in front of the train. Nihon Kairali became involved after learning about the case and has been coordinating with local authorities, police and the Indian Embassy. “The formal procedures could take at least three weeks. Devika’s identification is yet to be officially completed, with police expected to use fingerprints collected during immigration procedures for final confirmation,” he added.

After police, local authority and immigration clearances, the government will release the body to the embassy. A local agency will then carry out the cremation, while the Malayali community will coordinate the Hindu rituals and send the ashes to Kerala.

Back home, Devika is survived by her parents and younger sister Nandana, who has just completed Plus Two and hopes to pursue nursing. “The family has been facing financial difficulties. Prakashan and Beena struggled hard to raise their daughters and had taken on liabilities to send Devika to Japan,” said Padiyoor panchayat member K V Thankamani.