Bengaluru bandh elicits mixed response, govt vows support to farmers

The bandh called by various farmer and political groups in protest against the Cauvery River water dispute witnessed a partial response on Tuesday, people familiar with the matter said, adding most public services continued to operate normally despite the disruption of regular life in the city due to fewer people venturing out.

According to officials, there was an increased deployment of police force in the city to maintain law and order situation and section 144 of the CrPC was imposed, however, no violence or vandalism was reported.

The ‘Karnataka Jala Samrakshana Samiti,’ an umbrella outfit of farmers’ associations and other organisations led by Kuruburu Shanthakumar, had given the call for today’s dawn-to-dusk shutdown, which was backed by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (Secular).

All educational institutions in the city remaining shut on Tuesday, however, cab services, autos, and restaurants were seen operating. According to the drivers and hotel operators, they did not receive enough customers due to the bandh. A similar situation was observed with the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses and Metro rail services, as no regular rush was seen at bus and metro stations, people familiar with the matter said.

Most private companies and firms, including those in the IT sector had instructed their employees to work from home. Most malls and cinema theatres remained shut. The bandh was also in force in Malavalli in Mandya district, Ramanagara, and a few other places.

The protest rally, initially slated from Town Hall to Freedom Park, announced by the groups did not take place after several protestors were detained at Town Hall. Shanthakumar and other leaders of the Samiti were detained by the police at the Mysuru Bank circle and they were later brought to the protest site in Freedom Park.Leaders, including Shanthakumar and others, later staged protests at Freedom Park, which is the only designated place for such demonstrations.

In the evening, transport minister Ramalinga Reddy met the protesters at the Freedom Park and received a memorandum from them, saying he would take it to the notice of the chief minister. The minister said, the five-point memorandum includes demands that water is not released from Cauvery to Tamil Nadu, the formation of an election commission-like body to assess things during distress years, and the implementation of the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project.

“On behalf of the chief minister, I have received the memorandum. I will take these demands to the chief minister. I want to assure that the state government is with the farmers and with Karnataka,” he said.

Shanthakumar claimed the bandh was successful. The samiti set a 3-day deadline for the government to announce its decision, failing which it will intensify protests. “We have given a memorandum to the government, and we expect to hold a meeting with the chief minister in the coming days. We will not allow the release of any water from Karnataka. Further decisions on the protest will be taken after the meeting,” he said on Tuesday evening.

Only one incident of violence was reported when a few people damaged a hotel in Jayanagar 3rd block on Tuesday morning, around 10 am. Customers at the Udupi Food Hub were chased away by the miscreants, who later destroyed the chairs and furniture in the hotel. A complaint has been registered with the Jayanagar police, said a senior officer.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda said that while police allowed protests at Freedom Park, those violating the order were taken into preventive custody. “We have taken several people, including three legislators, into custody for violating the prohibitory orders. They were subsequently released. Except for those shops that closed voluntarily, there were no incidents of forcefully closing of shops. We have also ensured that those commuting in the city were not affected by the Bandh, and enough security was provided for BMTC buses to ply in the city. No damage has been reported to any government property,” he said.

He added that the police didn’t stop any buses coming from Tamil Nadu from entering the city. “But, the Tamil Nadu authorities had stopped the buses at the bordering districts in view of the bandh. We have communicated to them that any bus coming from Tamil Nadu will be provided adequate protection,” the commissioner added.

Meanwhile, ‘Kannada Okkuta,’ an umbrella organisation for pro-Kannada organizations led by former MLA Vatal Nagaraj, which has called for a statewide bandh on September 29, did not support Tuesday’s bandh. Yet, Nagaraj and other Kannada Okkuta leaders tried to lay siege to Raj Bhavan but were stopped midway by the police, who detained them and whisked them away.

“The government should not release the water to Tamil Nadu. There is no water, no water to drink, no water for Bengaluru, no water for Mysore farmers, no water for Mandya farmers, and no water for Chamarajanagar farmers. Don’t release the water. The Karnataka government should take a stern stand; they shouldn’t succumb to any pressure,” he said. “Don’t release the water. Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11.30 am, we, the Kannada Okkoota, will stage a Satyagraha in front of the CM’s residence, demanding that he does not release the water. If they release it, there will be a statewide protest. On the 29th, there will be a Karnataka bandh,” he said.