JOIN USEver since nurse Jacintha Saldanha allegedly ended her life in London following a hoax call made by two Australian Radio DJs on December 7 enquiring about the health condition of Prince William’s wife, the otherwise sleepy town of Shirva has been in the limelight the world over.
Be it a shop, household, school, college, post office or bank, the only topic people discuss is of Jacintha’s death and the stories surrounding it. While local residents express their sympathies for the 46-year-old nurse, many vented their ire on the two radio DJs who made the hoax call to the King Edward VII Hospital in London where Kate Middleton was treated.
Quite interestingly, most of the people this correspondent spoke with are not ready to believe Jacintha committed suicide. They say either the hospital authorities (where she worked), or some other authorities concerned would have killed her.
“Wouldn’t she have thought for a moment about her husband (Benedict), son (Junal) or daughter (Lisha) before taking the extreme step? After all, she had only passed on the phone call,” said Vinayak, a newspaper vendor. People responsible for her death should be punished severely, he added.
Ramesh, one of the four grave diggers, told Deccan Herald that never had he been “interviewed” by so many “white people” (foreign correspondents) and “people with cameras”. “Some of them have guns, too,” said another, pointing to the huge lens belonging to photojournalists.
Cops restless
Right from the time the mortal remains of Jacintha arrived in Mangalore on Sunday, police have been on their toes. Perhaps, this is for the first time they have seen such a large crowd in Shirva.
People from the neighbouring areas such as Mudarangadi, Kaup, Katpadi, Udupi, Moodubelle and Belman, too, thronged the Our Lady of Health Church at Shirva to catch a glimpse of Jacintha’s mortal remains, but in vain. The casket cover had not been opened as decided by her family.