BENGALURU: Karnataka Bandh called by pro-Kannada organisations in protest against the release of the Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu was successful in the Cauvery basin districts. Meanwhile, there was a poor response in the Coastal region and several districts in North Karnataka.
In Bengaluru, the police detained the activists who gathered at Town Hall, from where they had planned to take out a rally to Freedom Park. Hundreds of protesters were bundled into buses and were taken into preventive custody by the police. Cab and auto rickshaw drivers, who had planned to join the protests by taking out a rally from various parts of the city were also detained by the police.
Vatal Nagaraj, the Kannada activist and president of ‘Kannada Okkoota’, which has called for the bandh, staged a protest by wearing a burqa and carrying an empty pot, symbolically protesting against the release of the Cauvery water to the neighbouring state when Karnataka is facing severe drought. Holding the protest outside his residence in Dollars Colony, Nagaraj said he is wearing black to mark the protest and it also resembles the black robe of the ‘woman of justice’. He came down heavily on the police department for detaining the agitators in a bid to foil the protests.
Shops, malls, theatres and other places of business were closed in the state capital, which witnessed the bandh for the second time this week. While the state-run KSRTC and BMTC buses were operational, there were hardly any passengers. Sources from the bus corporation said that they have cut the number of schedules majorly in the Cauvery heartland and based on the prevailing situation in other regions across the state. Except for some personal vehicles on the road, there were hardly any cabs and autos on the road. Major bus stands like Kempegowda Bus Terminal, Yeshwanthpur Bus Terminal, Satellite Bus Stand, Shantinagar Bus Terminal and others wore a near-deserted look.
Patients visiting government and private hospitals were affected by the band. The number of patients visiting the government hospitals witnessed a dip as many had to postpone their visit due to the band.
Demonstrations were held in Ramanagara, Mandya, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar, which are the Cauvery basin districts, and also in Chitradurga, Dharwad and Belagavi. Attempts to block the national highway were made in Ramanagara and other places but the police stopped the agitators. Kannada activists also tried to stage a protest at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru but the security personnel detained them. It is learnt that several flights were cancelled due to the bandh and the officials are yet to confirm how many flights were cancelled.
Meanwhile, DG & IGP Alok Mohan and Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and briefed him about the law and order situation in the state. The Kannada film fraternity held a protest under the leadership of senior actor and producer Shivarajkumar in Bengaluru.