MADIKERI:The body of Darshan, a second-year engineering student, from Bengaluru who drowned at Chelavara Falls, about 45km away from here on Saturday, was fished out on Monday.
Darshan was a student of KSIT College and resident of JP Nagar.He had come to Kodagu along with four other friends on Friday. The boys, who had been staying in their uncle’s house in Siddapura, attended Dasara festivities in Madikeri on Saturday. On Sunday, they went to Chelavara Falls when Darshan went into the waters and drowned.
Sources said though the incident occurred at 1.30 pm on Saturday, the body could not be fished out on the same day due to the rain.According to Samrat K, a local and acquaintance of the family who was at the spot, Chelavara falls is known to be a dangerous spot and warning boards have been installed. “It is very deep here. For anyone trying to venture out too deep, death is certain,” he said.
He added that even as the four friends, who accompanied Darshan chose to go a little deep into the water, Darshan attempted to go under the falls and probably drowned as the waters were very deep there.
“A while after he ventured there, he disappeared and his friends called his father and sought help from locals. His friends told us that he did not know how to swim and he is the only son of his parents,” said Samrat.
Darshan was a fifth semester student of Kammavari Sangha Institute of Technology and was pursuing an engineering degree in Electronics and Communication according to Dr T V Govindaraju, principal, KSIT. “We are yet to avail information from the family. We only know that a trip turned bad for these students,” he added.N K Kuttappa, a local, said a decade ago, there has been a steady increase in visitors over the past few years.Last October, two youths drowned in the falls. A total of 12 drowned at the falls last year.