A massive violence broke out yesterday in parts of the city as several trucks, school buses and bus stands were seen being set on fire by the pro-Kannada protestors in West Bengaluru. They were also advised not to go in groups, as a precaution against the section 144 clause which prohibits large gatherings.
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Jayalalithaa responded by requesting safety and security of Tamilians in Karnataka. expressing her concern, she said “hotels and properties belonging to Tamils in Karnataka are being attacked and damaged”.
“You would agree that the incidents of violence against Kannada speaking people that are being reported from Tamil Nadu would incite passions threatening peace in our state, which all of us should prevent”, Siddaramiah said.
But fear continued to spread through video footage of flames leaping out of charred vehicles and threats of attacks on Tamil people in Bengaluru circulating over WhatsApp, forcing local police to issue advisories.
In Rameswaram, activists of Naam Tamizhar Katchi, Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi and Tamil National Movement smashed the glass windows of buses and vehicles with clubs before they were removed by the police.
Bengaluru is a major technology hub and the capital of the Karnataka state, which has been locked in a long-standing dispute over the use of the Cauvery River with the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. Three companies of RAF, comprising 100 personnel each, and an all-woman CRPF company have already been deployed in Karnataka.
Bus and other transport services between the two states have come to a standstill following the protests.
Parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry too saw protests by fringe outfits, with some commercial and government establishments of Karnataka coming under attack, in an apparent retaliation for happenings in Karnataka. In Pandavapura town in Mandya district, a mob set fire to trucks and threw stones on the houses of businessmen hailing from the neighbouring state.
Officials said the personnel have been sent to the violence-prone areas of Karnataka and if need arises, some of the contingents will also be deployed in Tamil Nadu.
In Mandya district, the epicentre of the Cauvery agitation, the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway was blocked.
India’s Supreme Court ruled on September 5 that upstream Karnataka must provide downstream Tamil Nadu with water from its dams, 15,000 cubic feet per second per day until September 20, a decision which prompted a refusal by the Karnataka government and violence.
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The apex court also criticised the Karnataka government for raising the law and order situation as a factor in deciding the water release. Karnataka officials told the court that the state did not have enough water reserves to share. The court will hear the matter next on September 20.
