Bantwal: Hasiru Sene leader and consumer activist Sharath Kumar drowned in Nethravati river near Nandavara temple on March 24. He is suspected to have accidentally fallen and died due to injuries sustained on the head, said the police.

Sharath (45), a resident of Sajipa Munnur village used to visit the temple everyday after taking bath in the river. When he did not return as usual, police conducted a search and found his bike and footwear on the river bank. Later, expert divers fished the body out. The police suspected that Sharath might have accidentally slipped and hit his head against a rock before drowning.

Police have registered a case of unnatural death under Section 174 of CrPC and are investigating further.

Sharath, Taluk President of Hasiru Sene, was actively involved in the fight against Yettinahole project. He had also fought for the rights of those displaced by Thumbay Vented Dam Project and remained an active RTI acitivist.

Farmers’ Union members in the area have condoled his untimely death.