The accident took place around 10.15 am at Guttikere between Kadur and Birur.

The van, which Sandeep was driving, turned turtle after the axle of the vehicle broke. Sandeep, who was unconscious after the accident, succumbed to injuries on way to a hospital in Birur.

Sandeep’s friend’s wife Meera (24) was seriously injured in the accident. Girish (26), Raghavendra Rao (32), Usha (23), Sharath (26), Yamini (23) and Yatish (28), who were occupants of the van, also sustained injuries. All the injured were shifted to a hospital in Shimoga.

Sandeep was one of the four directors of Data Grid Technologies, which is into corporate training and placement services and situated on K R Road.

Three others are Girish (Mysore), Sharat (Channarayapatna) and Yatish and all of them were class-mates.
Sandeep’s body was brought to Bangalore by a helicopter and kept at St John’s hospital mortuary. 
Mr Shankarlinge Gowda and his wife are in the US to visit their daughter and are expected to return to Bangalore on Sunday night.

“We lost the biggest pillar of our company and it’s a great loss for us,” Satish G V, a technical consultant at Data Grid Technologies, reacted. 

“Sandeep was genius and possessed excellent management skills. Ours is a small team of 30 youngsters,” Satish paused for a while as he sobbed.

Good driver
“The van was good one and I don’t believe that rash and negligent driving caused the accident as Sandeep was a good driver and loved to drive,” Satish claimed. Gowda’s family friend Ganganna calmly said, “we lost a good soul. He was simple, humble and used to respect elders, though he was the son of an IAS officer. He always wanted to grow independently.”

Gowda’s another family friend said, “Sandeep was very obedient to his parents. He always used to take his father’s permission before leaving Bangalore”.

 He decided to go to Kundapur on Friday only after his father gave a nod. He stayed in his grandfather’s house at Konehalli village on Friday night, added Mr Gowda’s family member.