Bangalore’s traffic fails flow-test during protest

The city on Monday witnessed numerous protests on issues ranging from Dalit reservation to Cauvery, which led to slow traffic movement in areas surrounding Majestic, Freedom Park and Raj Bhavan among other places.

The Dalit Sangharsha Samithi (DSS) holding a protest at Freedom Park spilled over to the adjoining road and traffic from Ananda Rao circle was diverted through the Race Course Road, Basaveshwara circle to avoid this stretch.

The DSS was demanding the implementation of internal reservation as recommended by the AJ Sadashiva commission of inquiry.The commission in its report had recommended internal reservation among the castes by reclassifying the 101 Dalit castes into four groups. The protesters were asked to demonstrate inside the Freedom Park, but they came on the road and blocked half of it road.

The DSS members had taken out a procession from Chikkalalbagh and reached Freedom Park. They even wanted to go to Vidhana Soudha to lay siege, but police stopped them near Freedom Park.

Cauvery protests
The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) staged a protest in front of general post office (GPO) on Raj Bhavan Road and other places across the cities. They wanted to lay siege on buildings housing the departments under central government. They were demonstating against the central government’s stand with respect to Cauvery water issue.
Over 200 protesters, headed by KRV president TA Narayana Gowda, gathered in front of GPO for more than 30 minutes and tried to lay siege of the building but were thwarted by police and demonstrators were taken into custody and later released.
The traffic on Palace Road, Raj Bhavan Road, Infantry Road, Shivajinagar, Cubbon Park, MG Road were affected.

Gowda said KRV will lay siege of Raj Bhavan on Tuesday and on Thursday they plan to stop stop railways. A KRV samavesha will be held on Friday at National college, Basavangudi to chalk out future steps, he added.

Meanwhile, near Cauvery Bhavan, BJP leaders too staged a protest against the central government over Cauvery issue.
Near Majestic, Vatal Nagaraj, Saragovindu and other Kannada organisations staged a protest against the central government and demanded that Cauvery water should not be released to Tamil Nadu. This caused traffic jam on Okalipuram Road, Rajajinagar, and Malleswaram.

Protest against Tamil church service
On the Outer Ring Road the State Catholic Christ Kannada Sangha staged blocked the road near Banaswadi in protest against prayer service in Tamil at John Paul church.