700 detained in Bengaluru as bandh hits normal life in parts of state

While districts like Chikamangaluru, Tumakuru, Mandya and Kolar saw protesters burning effigies and organising sit-ins, North Karnataka largely remained unaffected by the bandh and normal life remained uninterrupted.

Bengaluru:

Kannada activists block the road during the Karnataka Bandh over Cauvery water issue, in Hubballi on Friday. (PTI)

Over 700 protesters, who tried to block roads, were detained in Bengaluru on Friday during the “Karnataka Bandh” called by pro-Kannada organisations and farmers’ outfits to protest against the release of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu, police said.

The bandh hit normal life in the city and southern parts of the state with restrictions under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code enforced since Thursday night in Bengaluru Urban, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagara, Ramanagara and Hassan districts. Schools and colleges were also shut in the areas mentioned above while several flights, trains and buses were either cancelled or rescheduled, officials said.

Addressing a press conference on Friday evening, Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda said the bandh passed off peacefully in the city. “There were no reports of stone pelting, forceful closure of shops and stopping of vehicles plying on the roads. We have detained over 700 agitators who tried to block roads,” he said.

Several protesters who attempted to hold demonstrations in areas like the Bengaluru Central Bus terminal in Majestic and Mysuru Bank Circle were detained.

According to police officers, 785 protesters were detained and taken into custody as a preventive measure. But they were released later, police said, adding that over 1,500 people gathered at Freedom Park to register their protest.

Bengaluru Urban district deputy commissioner, Dayananda KA declared a holiday for all schools and colleges in Bengaluru for the day of the bandh. Restaurants, hotels, malls, markets, theatres and other public institutions remained closed, as announced earlier. Ola Uber Drivers and Owner’s Association also pledged its support to the Bandh. State-run BMTC buses are operational, however, services saw few passengers.

The uproar in Karnataka follows the Supreme Court’s decision not to interfere with the directives issued by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and its auxiliary body, the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC). In its latest order, the CWRC has ordered Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of Cauvery water from Biligundlu, effective from September 28 to October 15.

Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Friday said that there was no need for Karnataka bandh over the Cauvery row as his government “was protecting the interests of the state”. “Karnataka bandh is totally peaceful. Everyone is cooperating with the protest. Police have ensured everyone is protected,” he said.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and MP Tejasvi Surya attacked the state government saying that the people of Bengaluru will not have drinking water if Karnataka continues to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. “The Karnataka government has failed to present its case before CWMA (Cauvery Water Management Authority,” he said.

Meanwhile, due to the bandh, 44 flights were cancelled to and from Karnataka. Various flights coming from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Mangaluru were among others that got cancelled.

At Bengaluru Airport, pro-Kannada activists raising slogans against the Karnataka government were apprehended. Additionally, some individuals who tried to disrupt traffic on the airport road were taken into police custody.

In Chikkamagaluru, protesters burned effigies of chief minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy Shivakumar against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. In Tumakuru district, several pro-Kannada activists congregated near Town Hall to observe the bandh. They chanted slogans against Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin and symbolically burned his images.

In Kolar, pro-Kannada activists interrupted Karnataka State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses. Karnataka Rakshana Vedike members expressed their displeasure at the operation of buses during the bandh. The situation was resolved after police intervention, allowing the bus service to resume.

Members of Kannada Rakshana Vedike also climbed on a train engine in Yadgir and tried to prevent it from leaving the railway station. The protesters tried to stop the train heading to Chennai from Mumbai. The police later took protesters into custody.

In the Cauvery heartland of Mandya, 325 protesters were taken into preventive detention and released later. Members of farmers’ associations held a ‘rail-roko’ protest in the district and raised slogans against the state government over releasing Cauvery River water to Tamil Nadu. They staged a protest by sitting on the railway track but were taken into custody, police said.

However, not all regions of Karnataka responded with equal fervour to the bandh call. The Karnataka bandh on Friday in the northern part of the state witnessed a poor response as normal life remained uninterrupted. Kannada, farmers, and other organisations remained neutral on the matter, as the bandh was announced without consulting the leaders of this part of the state.

Road, train, and air traffic, government and private establishments, finance, and educational institutions operated as usual. As a show of moral support, Kannada organisations held token protests in important locations in all the district and taluk headquarters in Kittur and Kalyan Karnataka.

Apart from a token protest by various Kannada organizations in cities like Belagavi, Hubballi, Gadag, Haveri, Gadag in Kittur, and Bidar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, and Ballari in the Kalyan Karnataka region, no other incidents were reported in any part of the region. However heavy security cover was deployed in these regions.

Ashok Chandaragi, the convenor of the Kannada Organisations’ Action Committee, said that the northern part of the state received neither support nor opposition and remained neutral because a few individuals from Bengaluru and Mysuru announced the bandh without consulting the local leaders.

“For decades, we have been fighting for the Mahadayi water project and the relocation of a few major Secretariats to Suvarna Soudha here. However, no leaders from Bengaluru or Mysuru are supporting us. Since their stance toward us is like this, on what grounds do they seek our support?” Chandaragi questioned.

Sugarcane Growers Association State President Kurubur Shanthakumar, who held a bandh on September 26, met CM Siddaramaiah on Friday asking the government to fulfil several demands. Shanthakumar asked Siddaramaiah to call a special session to resolve the Cauvery issue.

“State government should stop releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu immediately chief minister has called for retired judges to meet in the evening to discuss the issue. A special session must be called to resolve the Cauvery issue,” Shanthakumar said.

With inputs from Hirekop Rajan Samuel

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