Riyadh: Mortal remains of Cuddalore worker brought home from Saudi Arabia
The mortal remains of Mani Karuppaiah from Edachithur in Cuddalore district, who passed away in Saudi Arabia on November 20, 2025, were flown to Tamil Nadu and reached his hometown on Tuesday.
Mani, who worked as a general worker in a marble factory in Riyadh, suffered a severe brain hemorrhage during duty hours in August 2024 and slipped into a coma. He was first treated at Shemaishi Hospital in Riyadh and later shifted to Ruwaydah Al-Ardh General Hospital, about 230 km from the capital, where he remained under treatment for more than seven months until his death.
After completing all legal and administrative procedures, the body was sent from King Khalid International Airport on December 8 at 10.35 pm via Sri Lanka on Colombian Airlines. It arrived at Tiruchirapalli International Airport at 9.15 am on December 9. His nephew Raja Duraisamy received the remains, which were taken by ambulance to Edachithur. The last rites were performed at 3 pm.
Riyadh-based pro-bono lawyer and social worker Adv. P. A. Hameed Padubidri coordinated the documentation process in liaison with the Indian Embassy. He had been following the case since Mani was admitted to hospital in August 2024. Efforts to shift Mani to India for treatment could not materialise due to legal hurdles.
Members of the Tamil community in Riyadh, including Rahim Suraj and colleagues of the deceased, Kumar Guru and Gughanathan Nagappan, also assisted in the process.
The family has thanked Adv. Hameed, the Tamil community members and the Indian Embassy for their support.
Mani is survived by his mother K. Vennila, wife Sanjalam, daughters Priya and Kaviyarasi, son Ponnarasan and other relatives. He had been employed in Riyadh for more than ten years.
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Chair hurled at Union Minister of State V. Somanna during public event in Koppal
Koppal: Tension prevailed for a brief period at Hitnal village in Koppal taluk on Monday after a chair was allegedly hurled at Union Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti, V. Somanna, during a public function.
The incident occurred when Somanna was attending the foundation stone–laying ceremony for a railway flyover near Hitnal village.
According to reports, a group of Congress workers expressed anger over the alleged exclusion of Koppal MP K. Rajashekar Basavaraj Hitnal and District In-charge Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi from the invitation list for the program. During the incident, a chair was reportedly thrown, but the Minister was unharmed as his security personnel intervened in time.
Following the incident, chaos ensued at the venue for some time, with protesters allegedly throwing chairs and staging a demonstration in front of Somanna’s vehicle, accusing the organisers of violating protocol.
The railway flyover project, being taken up for Rs 27 crore, connects the Hitnal–Munirabad–Ginigera stretch.
Reacting to the incident, Somanna said the project was fully funded by the Central government and denied any breach of protocol. “There was no violation of etiquette related to the programme. The disturbance was created intentionally,” he said.
