'Mangalore nurse criticised hospital staff in suicide note'

December 14, 2012

nurse

London, December 14: A Mangalore-origin nurse, found dead after a hoax call to the hospital treating Princess Kate, has criticised her senior colleagues in one of the three emotional suicide notes she left behind, a media report said today.

Jacintha Saldanha, 46, wrote three emotional notes revealing the anguish that led to her suicide after she was duped by two Australian DJs into believing they were royalty, the Daily Mirror reported.

In one, the distraught mum-of-two outlines how she struggled to come to terms with the prank call by Australian DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian to the hospital where a pregnant Kate was being treated for severe morning sickness.

But in another she criticises senior colleagues at the King Edward VII hospital over her treatment after the pair had pretended to be the Queen and Prince Charles asking about the duchess's condition.

It is believed the nurse's suicide note has left her grieving family furious, with husband Ben Barboza understood to want an inquiry into the hospital.

A source close to Saldanha's family was quoted by the paper as saying: "One of the letters, which is the longest, deals with the hospital and is critical in its tone. Needless to say, Ben wants a full inquiry into what happened, and he wants to make sure the truth comes out. Within the letter Jacintha calls into question some of the treatment she received at the hospital."

Scotland Yard detectives are examining the notes, as well as interviewing Saldanha's friends, family and colleagues at the hospital. The family have been provided with

transcripts of all three notes.

Saldanha's third suicide letter is more of a practical one which deals with her funeral arrangements.

Senior Labour MP Keith Vaz, who is working on behalf of her relatives, said last night: "The truth of this matter has to come out for the sake of her family".

Saldanha, from Bristol, was found hanged last Friday at the nurses' home where she was staying, the opening of her inquest at Westminster coroner's court was told yesterday.

The contents of the letters were not read out at the inquest, however the family source insisted they want the truth to be made public about what happened.

Detective Chief Inspector James Harman of the Metropolitan police told the hearing: "Jacintha Saldanha was found by a colleague and a member of security hanging from a scarf attached to a wardrobe. There were also some injuries to her wrists."

"At this time there are no suspicious circumstances. Two notes were found at the scene and another note recovered from her belongings," Harman told the hearing.


Coroner's officer Linda Martin said unsuccessful attempts were made to resuscitate Jacintha, who had a daughter, Lisha, 14, and 16-year-old son Junal.


Her body was identified by Ben, 49, and a postmortem was carried out on Tuesday.

Harman said police in New South Wales had been asked to obtain statements from Greig and Christian. Friends and family of the victim were being interviewed and emails and any phone calls made investigated.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox fixed a provisional date for a full inquest on March 26 next year, which would have been Saldanha's 47th birthday.

Wilcox told relatives in court: "I would like to pass on my sympathy to you and her family and all those who have been touched by this terribly tragic death."


Vaz said Saldanha's relatives will hold a memorial service for her in London. He did not reveal the venue but said the event would be for "family and friends all over the country" to celebrate her life.

It is understood the service will be at Westminster Cathedral.

Meanwhile, the King Edward VII hospital pledged to carry on helping Ben and other relatives.

"The hospital has met with the family and will continue to support them for as long as is required," a spokeswoman said.

She added that a senior member of staff has been assigned to "comfort" them.



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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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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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News Network
December 2,2025

DKSsiddu.jpg

Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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