UK India nurse hoax call: Jacintha Saldanha’s funeral in Mangalore, India

Saldanha’s husband, Benedict Barboza, her 16-year-old son Junal and 14-year-old daughter Lisha, were also at the airport as her body was taken to a local hospital ahead of the burial.

Saldanha’s funeral will take place on Monday at a church in Shirva, Jacintha’s hometown near Mangalore city, Karnataka.

According to BBC’s Sanjoy Majumdar, a central government minister, local politicians and media members were waiting at the airport when Saldanha’s body arrived at 2.30pm IST on a plane from the UK.

Jacintha Saldanha, a 46-year-old nurse at King Edward VII hospital in London where the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge was admitted for morning sickness, committed suicide on December 7. Her tragic death came just days after the phone prank caused her humiliation and embarrassment.

Two Sydney-based radio hosts Mel Greig and Michael Christian rang up the hospital and spoofed the accents of the Queen and Prince Charles, to check on Kate Middleton’s health – all in good spirits.

Saldanha, who fell for the prank, transferred the call to the Duchess of Cambridge’s ward where information about Kate’s health was divulged.

The Indian nurse left three suicide notes and according to The Guardian, the nurse criticised the hospital staff in one of the suicide notes. On one of the suicide notes, Jacintha requested that her funeral be carried at her hometown in Karnataka.

But the hospital has maintained that no disciplinary action was taken against Saldanha for forwarding the call to Kate’s ward.

Jacintha’s death has outraged people in India, the politicians and the media who all demand a full investigation into the cause of her death.

Following her death, a candlelight vigil was held in her memory in India by Jacintha Saldanha’s family and friends. Memorial services were held in several parts of UK too including Bristol and the Westminster Cathedral.

The two radio hosts who have also been shocked by Jacintha’s death said that they felt “shattered” and “sorry” for the Indian nurse’s tragic death.