Representative image.
Mysuru: A devotee was killed, while another was seriously injured, when an unidentified car ran over them, while they were sleeping during the Suttur Jathra (fair) in Nanjangud taluk in the wee hours of Tuesday.
The deceased has been identified as G M Pradeep Kumar (36), a resident of Gattavadi village, near Suttur temple town. The injured, Ravi, also from the same village, is in a critical condition and is being treated at JSS Hospital in Mysuru.
According to sources, the duo had visited the fair, to watch a mythological (pouranika) play and had later fallen asleep near the ‘Gaddige’ in Suttur.
The tragedy occurred when a car (registration No KA 03 C 3498) ran over their heads, while they were in deep sleep. The driver did not stop and fled the scene.
The incident has been captured on CCTV cameras on the temple premises. Following the accident, grieving family members and residents of Gattavadi staged a protest in front of the Biligere Police Station, demanding justice.
Nanjangud MLA Darshan Dhruvanarayan visited the Taluk Hospital mortuary to pay his last respects to Pradeep and consoled the bereaved family members.
The Biligere Police have registered a hit-and-run case and have launched a search for the vehicle and its driver. The six-day Suttur Jathra, which draws lakhs of devotees, began on January 15 and is scheduled to conclude on Tuesday (January 20).
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