Vijayanagara, Jan 31 (IANS) Raising suspicion over death of young farmer leader J. Karthik in a road accident in Karnataka's Vijayanagara district , farmer associations on Wednesday demanded a thorough probe into the matter.

Karthik, 40, resident of Hospet, was found lying beside his bike on the national highway near Budugumpa Cross in Koppal district with severe head injuries. Karthik was rushed to a hospital in Hubballi, where he succumbed to his injuries early Wednesday.

Karthik was riding his bike towards Koppal when the accident occurred in the limits of the Munirabad police station. The police are gathering information as there are no eyewitnesses.

Having participated in many struggles launched by farmers' associations in the state and raising his voice, Karthik was associated with farmer leader Kodihalli Chandrashekar's organization earlier and had recently parted ways to start his own organisation.