Karnataka Bandh News LIVE: Bengaluru Police have apprehended members of pro-Kannada organizations protesting the Cauvery Water Issue in the vicinity of Attibele.
This strike has been organized by farmer groups and pro-Kannada organizations and is set to unfold across the state in response to the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. This action is particularly contentious in light of the ongoing drought conditions in Karnataka.
To ensure the maintenance of law and order and the effective handling of the situation, Karnataka police are making arrangements to deploy additional forces throughout the state.
Protests have erupted in Karnataka due to the release of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu, following the Supreme Court’s decision not to intervene in the directives issued by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC). These directives mandated Karnataka to carry out the water release.
In a recent development, the CWRC has instructed Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of Cauvery water from Biligundlu, effective from September 28 to October 15, 2023, which represents a reduction from the previous release of 5,000 cusecs.
Additionally, during a press conference held by actor Siddharth to promote his film, members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Swabhimani Sene disrupted the event and demanded his departure from the venue. They expressed their displeasure, citing the inappropriateness of such promotional activities amidst Tamil Nadu’s ongoing demand for Cauvery River water from Karnataka.
The Karnataka bandh called by the ‘Kannada Okkoota’ to oppose the release of water to Tamil Nadu received a substantial response in Bengaluru and other southern parts of the state, leading to disruptions in normal daily life.
Authorities have imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in Bengaluru Urban, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagara, Ramanagara, and Hassan districts. Additionally, schools and colleges in these areas have been declared closed. ‘Kannada Okkoota’ serves as an umbrella organization comprising various Kannada and farmers’ outfits.
BJP Rajya Sabha member Lahar Singh Siroya shared that he made efforts to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin in Chennai for 48 hours to inform him about the impending drinking water crisis in Bengaluru. However, the meeting did not materialize.
Amid the ongoing Cauvery water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Siroya emphasized that his visit to Chennai was a goodwill mission without political intentions. Although he couldn’t meet Stalin, he described his meetings with other DMK leaders as “extremely positive.”
In a statement, Siroya conveyed his intention to apprise the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister about the imminent drinking water crisis in Bengaluru and the drought situation in Karnataka. He urged for the consideration of the issue as a humanitarian crisis rather than a regional conflict.
