Cauvery dispute: SC order sparks violence across Karnataka

Bengaluru/Chennai: The unrest simmering in Karnataka came to a head on Monday after the Supreme Court modified its order on the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, directing the state to release 12,000 cusecs a day till 20 September instead of the earlier 15,000 cusecs per day till 16 September.

Violence was unleashed across Karnataka, including its capital Bengaluru, Mysuru and Mandya, by farmers and pro-Kannada groups. One protester was killed in police firing in Rajgopal Nagar, Bengaluru.

Traffic along the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway came to a halt as trucks and passenger vehicles bearing Tamil Nadu registration plates were burnt. A fleet of more than 30 buses belonging to a private operator was reportedly set on fire by a mob in a depot in Bengaluru. Shops owned by Tamilians, including the popular Adyar Ananda Bhavan chain of restaurants, were attacked.

In Bengaluru, shops downed shutters, malls were deserted and educational institutions and some offices wound up early on Monday as violence spread across the city. Cabs and auto-rickshaws were in short supply and many of the city’s arterial roads were choked with vehicles as anxious people tried to find their way home.

The metro rail service came to a standstill and will remain closed till further notice, said U.A. Vasanth Rao, chief public relations officer, Bangalore Metro Rail Corp. Ltd. “Due to disturbance in the city due to Cauvery issue, train service has been temporarily suspended,” Rao said on Twitter.

Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure that prohibits unlawful assembly has been imposed in Bengaluru city on Monday as a preventive measure, tweeted Abhishek Goyal, an IPS officer of the Karnataka cadre.

The centre rushed 10 companies comprising 1,000 personnel of the Rapid Action Force to tackle the situation in Karnataka.

Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, men armed with sticks attacked the New Woodlands Hotel in Chennai in the wee hours of Friday morning, smashing glass panes and flinging a petrol bomb at the hotel’s façade. They left behind a note in Tamil, threatening further attacks on Kannadigas in Tamil Nadu if the violence against Tamilians in the state continued.

Security has been deployed in all Udupi hotels in the city, according to the owner of a popular Udupi restaurant who preferred not to be named.

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Security has also been beefed up around the houses of actors of Kannada descent including Prabhu Deva, Ramesh Aravind and Bobby Simha. A Karnataka Bank branch was attacked in Chennai and there have also been stray incidents in Rameswaram and Puducherry.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has written to his Tamil Nadu counterpart J. Jayalalithaa, urging her to “direct authorities in Tamil Nadu to ensure that perpetrators of violence are immediately brought to book”, while reassuring her that his own government has “taken utmost precaution to ensure the safety and security of all citizens, including Tamil-speaking members in the state”.

While Jayalalithaa reportedly had a meeting with police officers, the outcome of the meeting is not yet known.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president and former chief minister M. Karunanidhi, who had earlier questioned Jayalalithaa’s silence and asked her to act proactively, said in a statement that despite being in the opposition, his party will always work for the benefit of Tamil Nadu.

The issue has become a political hot potato for Siddaramaiah. “If he releases the water again, he is going to be in big trouble. If he doesn’t, the trouble is even bigger.” This is how a cabinet minister, who is preparing for an emergency cabinet meeting called for Tuesday, would describe the troubled waters Siddaramaiah has landed in following the Supreme Court order.

“We cannot allow further release of water. Tamil Nadu is asking water for a second level of irrigation; here there is no water for drinking itself. People will die if we release water, either by shortage of water or by violence,” said the minister. “At the same time, there are no legal options before us to avoid the SC order.”

“Whatever the CM decides, we will back him,” said another minister.

Both of them requested anonymity.

PTI and Dharani Thangavelu in Chennai contributed to this story.