Kochi, Jan 8 (IANS): On the 10th day after she sustained serious injuries on falling 15 feet down at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here, Congress' first-time Kerala legislator Uma Thomas on Wednesday spoke to her office staff and gave the necessary directions.

Taking to her official social media page, her staff wrote that for the first time on Tuesday, she was able to get up from her bed and sit on a chair.

On Wednesday after her son Vishnu met her, she asked to arrange a conference call with her office staff and directed them to see that her office is functioning and ensure the needs of the people are attended to.

In case there is any need for higher intervention, fellow party legislators should be contacted and action taken, she said.

Thomas also found out about the upcoming Assembly session.

According to the medical team, she will have to be in the ICU for a week, her social media team wrote on her page.

It was on Saturday that Thomas was taken off of the ventilator at a private hospital where she is being treated.

The medical team attending to her, however, has said she will be closely monitored as her rib injury is healing.

On Saturday, Thomas was able to sit on her hospital bed.

The incident occurred on December 29 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, owned by the CPIM-controlled Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA). Thomas had tripped over a barricade near the VIP pavilion after greeting state Culture Minister Saji Cherian during a Guinness World Record attempt for a mass dance performance featuring around 12,500 participants.

It sparked a blame game, with authorities launching an investigation into the event’s organisation.

Meanwhile, this case has turned controversial after widespread complaints surfaced about the poor security measures that were taken for this big event. Three people have been arrested but released on bail and the GCDA came under fire for its callous attitude.

Thomas, the widow of Congress veteran P.T. Thomas, represents the Thrikkakara Assembly constituency. She entered politics after her husband died in December 2021 and won the bypoll with a margin of over 25,000 votes, defying expectations of a Left victory.

A former student leader during college, Thomas is known for her polite demeanour and well-researched speeches in the Assembly. As the only woman Congress legislator in the current Assembly, she holds a significant and symbolic position in her party.