Friday’s dawn-to-dusk Tamil Nadu bandh on the Cauvery issue, called by associations of farmers and traders, passed off peacefully even as Opposition leaders, including DMK’s M.K. Stalin and Kanimozhi, courted arrest while leading protest demonstrations in various parts of the state.
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Protection is being provided for Karnataka related business establishments, schools, institutions and areas where Kannada speaking people live, including Krishnagiri district.
Police said attendance in government offices was normal and government schools too functioned.
“The Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Kerala or Puducherry would only attend the meeting convened by the Prime Minister and not anyone else”.
The bandh did not affect functioning of state and central government offices in Tamil Nadu, which remained open.
Preliminary reports reaching here said about 1,000 DMK men led by former Minister I.Periyasamy were arrested when they blocked the Vaigai super fast express train at Dindigul railway station.
The protests erupted after the Supreme Court ordered Karnataka to release water from the river to ease the shortage in Tamil Nadu until later this month.
Meanwhile, in Karnataka, situation has returned to normalcy in the entire state.
Kanimozhi, a DMK member of the Rajya Sabha, tried to block the arterial Anna Salai along with some supporters and was detained. All the leaders and ministers were bundled into police buses along with their supporters by the police and were taken away. No passenger was injured, police said.
“We demand the Centre to constitute Cauvery Management Board”, Vaiko said, adding full quantum of water should be released according to the Cauvery Tribunal’s Award. Police, however claim to have averted the incidents and arrested people.
In the city, police stopped protesters who were marching to a railway station mid way.
The Mettur Dam has witnessed steady inflows following Karnataka’s release of water. Tension rose in both the states with Karnataka saying that they did have enough water to release to Tamil Nadu and the neighbouring state countering their argument.
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Several buses and trucks from Tamil Nadu were burnt to ashes by the hooligans in Karnataka over Supreme Court’s order to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu couple of days back.
