Engineering girl elopes, father commits suicide, she attends funeral

Bengaluru, May 17: A 22-year-old girl, whose elopement and subsequent marriage with a man of her choice drove her parents to suicide, attended her father's funeral amid police security and a volley of abuses from her relatives on Monday.

Rashmi M, an engineering student from Shivapura, Peenya, turned up for the last rites of her father, Manichandra, at the Chamarajpet crematorium after her relatives issued an appeal through the media. She had skipped her mother's funeral, fearing a violent backlash from her relatives. Her family kept Manichandra's mortal remains in the house till 10 am on Monday, hoping she will turn up but she didn't. Then they took the body to the crematorium.

Rashmi arrived at the crematorium under police cover that she had asked for. The relatives could not bear the sight of her and hurled abuses at her. They even tried to prevent her from paying her last respects. Unable to control her emotions seeing her father's mortal remains, she collapsed at his feet and wept inconsolably.

Rashmi was dating Sridhar Gowda, a native of Mandya who became her family's tenant, for the last 9 months. When her parents learnt about the affair, they vehemently opposed it on the grounds that Gowda belonged to a different caste.

On May 13, her birthday, Rashmi asked her parents for permission to go to a mall. They let her go. Sometime later, Gowda called Rashmi's father and told him they had married.
Manichandra and Sujatha got so distraught at getting the news that they went to a railway track in Gollarahalli near Doddabelavangala on Saturday and ingested poison.
Alarmed passersby took them to hospital. Sujatha died on Saturday and Manichandra on Sunday.

After attending her father's funeral, Rashmi, along with Gowda, appeared before the Bengaluru North taluk tahsildar at Kandaya Bhavan. Sridhar claimed that Rashmi's mother supported their marriage. He also claimed ignorance about why Rashmi's parents committed suicide.

The Doddabelavangala police, who had booked Gowda for abetment of suicide, arrested him. A court in Doddaballapur remanded him in judicial custody.

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Air India Express brings back Mangaluru–Muscat direct flights from March 2026

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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