Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal/Kasargod (SP)

Bantwal/Kasargod, Aug 7: In the landslide which happened at Tala Kaveri, Kodagu district, two persons, one from Bantwal taluk and another from Adoor in Kasargod district, have also gone missing. They are Ravikiran (23), son of Ramakrishna Rao from Kallige Kannarpady in Bantwal taluk, and Srinivas Paddillaya (33), son of the late Laxminarayan Paddillaya-Satyabhama couple from Adoor Kayartimoole.

Ravikiran and Srinivas were serving as assistant priests alongside chief priest of Tala Kaveri temple, T S Narayan Achar. In the tragedy, Narayan Achar, his wife, and Narayan Achar's brother Anandateertha, have also gone missing. All of them are suspected to have got stuck under the heap of mud.

Ravikiran (left) and Srinivas Paddillaya

Ravikiran and his twin-brother Shashikiran, have been working as assistant priests at Tala Kaveri since the last some years. Both had returned home because of coronavirus lockdown sometime back. Ravikiran had recently returned to Tala Kaveri while Shashikiran has stayed back in his hometown.

Srinivas Paddillaya too had returned home on account of lockdown, but had travelled back to Tala Kaveri two weeks ago after the lockdown terms were relaxed.

It is said that when the district administration repeatedly alerted Narayan Achar about the imminent danger and advised him to relocate at a safer place, he had said he was at the service of the god and that his welfare will be looked after by the Almighty.

Bantwal MLA Rajesh Naik contacted Kodagu MLA K J Bopaiah and collected information about the incident involving Ravikiran. Rajesh Naik informed that though the rescue teams are continuously working, rescue operations are hampered due to the intense rain and also landslides in many places near Tala Kaveri.