Dharmasthala cases: Kin of missing woman willing to cooperate if 1986 case is reopened
Mangaluru, July 24 (PTI): The sister of a 19-year-old woman, who went missing nearly four decades ago in Dharmasthala on Thursday expressed her willingness to cooperate with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) if the case is reopened.
Padmalatha, a second-year pre-university student in Ujire, was reported missing on December 22, 1986, after she left home to attend her college’s annual day celebration.
After nearly two months, her skeletal remains were discovered with her limbs tied, indicating possible foul play.
Speaking to reporters, Padmalatha’s sister Chandravathy said that despite large public protests at the time, the case had failed to progress even after being transferred to the CID.
“The case was eventually closed with no resolution,” she said.
However, the recent formation of an SIT to examine multiple high-profile cold cases in the region has renewed hope for justice, Chandravathy said.
“If the SIT decides to reopen Padmalatha’s case, I am ready to extend full cooperation,” she added.
There has been renewed public and media interest in long-pending cases in Dharmasthala, particularly after recent allegations surrounding unidentified graves found in the area.
No official announcement has been made yet on whether Padmalatha’s case will be taken up afresh.
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Dense fog disrupts operations at Delhi airport; 228 flights cancelled, 5 diverted
New Delhi (PTI): Dense fog disrupted flight operations at Delhi Airport on Monday, with various airlines cancelling 228 flights and diverting five to nearby airports due to low visibility, an official said.
However, except for Air India, which had in an X post in the morning announced the cancellation of some 40 flights, no other airlines, including crisis-hit IndiGo, shared the numbers of their cancelled or delayed flights.
"As many as 228 flights -- 131 departures and 97 arrivals-- have been cancelled due to low visibility, so far," the airport official said.
In addition to this, five flights have been diverted so far, he said.
Earlier, the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), in a statement, said, "Our on-ground officials are working closely with all stakeholders to assist passengers and provide necessary support across Terminals.
"Low visibility (below minima), due to dense fog, has severely impacted operations at Delhi and other airports across northern India, which is unfortunately beyond our control," IndiGo said in a statement.
As operations are adjusted to prevailing weather conditions, some flights may experience delays, while a few others may be proactively cancelled during the day to prioritise safety and minimise extended waiting at the airport, the airline said in a statement.
IndiGo, however, did not say how many of its flights were cancelled or delayed.
The airline said its teams are "closely monitoring" the situation and coordinating with Delhi airport.
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IndiGo also said it issued advisories to its customers and "proactively" informing them, to minimise inconvenience.
“Poor visibility due to dense fog in Delhi this morning has impacted flight operations for all airlines. We are closely monitoring conditions and will resume operations as soon as it is safe to do so,” Air India said in a post on X in the morning.
It also said that some flights have been cancelled In the interest of safety, and to avoid prolonged uncertainty for the guests, while listing out some 40 arrivals and departures that it had cancelled for the day.
Delhi airport is the country's busiest, handling around 1,300 flight movements daily.
