SC orders release of 12,000 cusecs of water to TN; Attacks on Tamils in Bengaluru; Metro, night train services suspended; State cabinet to hold emergency meet today
There was an undeclared bandh in Karnataka once again after the Supreme Court (SC) reviewed its September 5 order on Monday and asked the state to release 12,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day instead of 15,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu till September, 20.
This is the second bandh in a span of four days.
The two southern neighbours are currently engaged in an ugly battle over the water dispute. A fresh series of attacks on Tamils in various parts of Bengaluru and other districts of Karnataka broke out on Monday morning after the SC directive and reports of Kannadigas being attacked in Tamil Nadu also surfaced.
A worried Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah wrote a letter to his Tamil Nadu counterpart J Jayalalithaa, urging her to ensure the safety of the Kannada-speaking people in Tamil Nadu.
He said that the series of attacks on Kannadigas in Tamil Nadu may incite the passions of people in Karnataka. "While we are taking all precautionary measures to ensure the maintenance of law and order in our state, I urge you to direct the authorities in Tamil Nadu to ensure that the perpetrators of violence are immediately brought to book," Siddaramaiah said.
Several hotels and shops owned by Tamils in various areas of Bengaluru were attacked on Monday. According to police officials, nearly 150 lorries, bearing Tamil Nadu registration numbers, were damaged in stone-pelting in the Timberyard Layout area of Bengaluru.
The Bengaluru city police intensified security in and around areas such as Okalipuram, Sheshadripuram, Indira Nagar, Ulsoor and Rajaji Nagar, which have a higher density of Tamil population.
Activists from the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike barged into the Mantri Mall at the busy Malleshwaram Road in Bengaluru and forcibly closed it down. People moved out of the shopping mall in panic as protestors, carrying yellow and red flags, shouted pro-Kannada slogans.
Fearing violence, the police imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in Bengaluru as a preventive measure. Schools and colleges were also closed.
Nearly 15,000 police personnel have been deployed in the city. The Karnataka government has also deployed teams of the Karnataka State Reserve Police, City Armed Reserve Police and Rapid Action Force.
Metro train services were suspended after protestors stormed the Metro station in Indira Nagar locality of Bengaluru. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation(KSRTC) has also suspended bus services to Tamil Nadu following the attacks on its buses.
The city railway station suspended night operations following imposition of prohibitory orders by the Bengaluru police. Hundreds of passengers were stranded at the station.
A complete shutdown in the evening hours left many shoppers shocked, especially on the eve of Bakrid on Tuesday.
"This is a serious lapse on the part of the administration. The state has completely failed to control the situation. We had planned to shop ahead of the festival. But not a single shop is open. The local administration is least bothered about the plight of the common people," Ishfaq Nazeer, a resident of Yeshwanthpur, Bengaluru, told dna.
Meanwhile, state home minister G Parameshwar appealed to the public not to pay heed to rumours. He urged the people to cooperate with the police in maintaining law and order. The state government has convened an urgent cabinet meeting at Vidhan Soudha, the secretariat, on Tuesday morning.
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