British Indian man banned from leaving Sri Lanka after his newly-wed wife dies on honeymoon
London, May 12: A newly-wed British Indian man is stuck in Sri Lanka after his wife died from a mysterious illness at a hotel in the country on their honeymoon.
Khilan Chandaria is being barred by the Sri Lankan authorities from leaving the country until an investigation into the death of his 31-year-old wife, Usheila Patel, is concluded.
Chandaria, a 33-year-old phone shop owner from north-west London, has not been arrested or charged in connection with his wife's death but is not being permitted to return to his home in the UK.
"I don't want to leave without her. I feel like the whole world is against me. It's been hard to do anything," Chandaria told the UK media from Sri Lanka.
"I don't think the grieving process has really started yet," he said.
The couple were married in London on April 19 before flying off on honeymoon four days later. They had been staying at the five-star beach resort called Amari in the southwestern coastal city of Galle in Sri Lanka. They were scheduled to fly to Maldives on the second leg of the honeymoon.
But they both fell ill and were "feverish and vomiting blood" after consuming some food and drinks at the hotel. They were rushed to a hospital after they called for help to their hotel room.
Patel was pronounced dead at the Karapitiya Hospital in Galle on April 25.
"A post-mortem said she died from dehydration, obviously from vomiting," said Chandaria, who had also noticed a weird "smell" in their hotel room before the suspected food poisoning.
"We are highly confident of our food safety standards," Amari Galle Sri Lanka said in a statement.
While Chandaria had initially been free to leave Sri Lanka, he refused to leave until his wife's body has been released.
He has now been banned from leaving until a government report into the death can be prepared.
"I want to go home knowing my wife will be coming home too and say my last goodbyes," he said.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting a British man in Sri Lanka. Our consular staff have shared advice on bereavement abroad and are in contact with the Sri Lankan authorities."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
