A resident of Bengaluru died after the bike he was travelling by was hit by a car at Manibail near Sringeri on Saturday.
The deceased has been identified as Shashishekhar Bhat, 62, a priest at Shaneshwara temple in Chikkallasandra in Bengaluru. He had been to Hariharapura to take part in the Maha Kumbhabhisheka at Sri Sharada Lakshminrusimha Peeta. He met with the accident while he was on his way to Hariharapura from Sringeri.
A tree that obstructed the view of vehicles coming from the opposite direction was said to be the reason for the mishap. A few residents staged a protest on the road by stopping the vehicles on the road connecting Sringeri and Mala. They alleged that the negligence of the Forest Department was the cause of the accident. The officials neither removed the tree despite repeated requests nor allowed the public to remove it. The public had been suffering because of the laws meant for the national park. They demanded the officials take decisions in the interest of local people.
The movement of vehicles was affected due to the protest.