Mondaypet, July 13: Three people, including a youth from Kodagu, who went to Mantralaya, the holy site of Guru Sri Raghavendra Swamy, with their friends, drowned in the bathing area.
K.R. Ajith (20), the son of a farmer couple Ramesh and Indira from Sangayyanapura village near Alursiddapura in Somwarpet taluk, and a second B.Com. student at the Government Arts College in Hassan, died along with two others from Hassan.
Ajith, who was with a group of 7 friends who had gone on a trip from Hassan to Mantralaya on the 11th of last month, went down to the bathing area of the Tungabhadra river in Mantralaya with his three friends yesterday, but accidentally lost his way and all three were washed away in the water.
The local police and a team of swimmers have been searching since yesterday, but they were not found.
This morning, the bodies were found when locals and the NDRF team searched the river. The bodies of Ajith of Somwarpet, Pramod and Sachin of Hassan Arasikere have been taken out and subjected to postmortem and further action has been taken.
A case has been registered in this regard at the Mantralaya Police Station.
Madikeri constituency MLA Dr. Mantar Gowda has shown great diligence and has been in constant contact with the in-charge minister and has cooperated in speeding up the operation. The last rites will be held on the 14th (today) in his hometown Sangayyanapura. The deceased Ajith is survived by his parents and two brothers.