Kerala woman killed by train in Japan

A Malayali community group in Japan has stepped in to arrange the funeral of a 22-year-old Kerala woman who died after being struck by a train in Gifu, with her grieving family unable to travel to Japan for the last rites.

V. Devika, from Nediyodi in Padiyoor near Iritty in Kannur district, had been working as a nursing assistant in Japan after moving there in March this year on a three-year contract, Malayala Manorama reported.

Her funeral will now be conducted in Japan according to Hindu customs and livestreamed so that her parents and other family members in Kerala can participate remotely. Her ashes are expected to be brought back to Kerala after the 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 the Malayali organisation Nihon Kairali, told Malayala Manorama .

According to Malayala Manorama, Devika was struck by a train at a railway crossing in Kakamigahara, Gifu, on September 2. An identity card recovered near the railway tracks helped authorities establish her identity and the Indian Embassy subsequently contacted her family.

Formal identification procedures, however, have yet to be completed, the report said.

Devika’s father, Prakashan Thekkan, said that his daughter had video-called her mother at around 8.30pm Japan time on September 2 and said she was going out to withdraw money. She had been unwell for several days and her mother suggested that she wait until the following morning.

“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.

PTI, in a separate report, said the family had approached the Kerala government for assistance after learning of Devika’s death. Irikkur MLA Sajeev Joseph told the news agency that the issue had also been raised through India’s External Affairs Ministry.

“The issue was also raised through the External Affairs Ministry with the Japanese government. We requested them to complete the procedures there as soon as possible,” Joseph told PTI.

Devika’s family initially explored the possibility of bringing her remains back to Kerala. However, they were informed about the difficulties involved because of the condition of her remains.

The company she worked for offered to arrange air tickets for two relatives to travel to Japan, her father said, but the family faced other obstacles, including language, additional expenses and the fact that neither parent has a passport.

“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,” Prakashan told Malayala Manorama .

He works at a petrol station in Iritty, while Devika’s mother, Beena, works as a tailor and is also involved in dairy farming.

Devika had trained as a lab technician before working for about six months in Iritty. She subsequently studied Japanese for eight months at an academy in Nileshwar, Kasaragod, before securing employment in Japan.

Her father said she had been recruited as a nursing assistant but found her workload difficult.

“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,” he said.

He said Devika had spoken to her family about the pressures she was experiencing and had expressed a desire to return to India.

“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.

The precise circumstances surrounding Devika’s death have not been independently established.

Ajay told Malayala Manorama that Japanese police had informed the community group that Devika had jumped in front of the train. PTI separately reported that relatives had been told CCTV footage indicated suicide.

Nihon Kairali is now working with Japanese authorities, police and the Indian Embassy to complete the formalities.

Ajay said the process could take at least three weeks and that authorities were expected to use fingerprints taken during immigration procedures to formally confirm Devika’s identity.

Once the required police, immigration and local authority procedures have been completed, the remains are expected to be released to the Indian Embassy.

Devika is survived by her parents and her younger sister, Nandana.