“About 15,000 thousand police personnel have been deployed in Bengaluru, Mandya and Mysuru, including 10 companies of the Rapid Action Force and five companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and five companies of the City Armoured Force in Bengalouru to ensure peace and maintain law and order”. But most schools declared a holiday on Wednesday as well, and so have a few colleges.
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The “Rythara hithrakshana samithee”, (committee for protection of farmers’ interests) headed by G. Madegowda, which is spearheading the Cauvery stir, staged a dharna and said they have no other option but to continue their protests till water release to Tamil Nadu stops.
Curfew was clamped on the night of Sept 12 after violence erupted with dozens of buses and lorries with Tamil Nadu registration being set on fire as mobs let out their fury over reports of some incidents of attack on Kannadigas and their property in the neighbouring state.
Metro rail has also resumed its service in the city since yesterday night. The protest witnessed two deaths while many were injured.
“The city is back to normalcy, with shops, hotels, offices, cinema theatres, petrol bunks and private establishments opening in all areas”, said Megharikh.
The city of Bengaluru and several parts of Karnataka faced a virtual shutdown after protestors took to the streets against the Supreme Court directing the state to release water from the Cauvery to Tamil Nadu.
Modifying its September 5 order, the apex Court earlier on Monday asked the Karnataka Government to release to release 12,000 cusecs of Cauvery River water every day to Tamil Nadu till September 20.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed for calm in the region and is expected to meet Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah.
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Karnataka government had yesterday chose to obey the Supreme Court’s modified order asking it to release 12,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu till September 20 and warned that those indulging in violence during protests against release of water will be dealt with an “iron-hand”. He also called on Modi to step in to resolve the vexed issue. The situation escalated to a level where two civilians lost their lives, while Karnataka is estimated to have suffered a loss of around Rs 25,000 crore.
