An Indian policeman hits a motorcyclist for defying curfew, a day after angry mobs burnt and vandalized buses from the neighboring Tamil Nadu state, in Bangalore, capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016.
Advertisement
“Situation that has emerged in Karnataka & Tamil Nadu, as a fallout of issue of distribution of waters of Cauvery River, is distressful”.
“We are ready to give up our lives but not Cauvery”, one protestor screamed, referring to the river that supplies the water to the reservoirs.
The “Cauvery family” took the initiative in 2003.
He said though the Supreme Court order directing to release water to Tamil Nadu is a hard one, “but we’ll still follow the Supreme Court order”. One person had died in police firing on Monday while another succumbed to injuries he suffered while fleeing police lathicharge as he jumped in panic from a three-storey building. So far, 335 persons have been arrested for Monday’s rioting and more arrests are expected with police scanning video footage of arson. We have to work to prevent the damage of this image, ” he said.
As the orgy of violence targeting Tamil Nadu buses and lorries and other vehicles brought the city on the edge, night curfew was imposed in 16 police station limits late last night and the entire city is under prohibitory orders till September 14.
Siddaramaiah also said his government would obey the Supreme Court order to release 12,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu every day until September 20, “despite the difficulties it causes”.
“I am personally pained at the developments”.
“Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh responded positively to the request of the Chief Minister”, the sources added.
The strikes and bandhs should not be allowed to take violent shape and the law and order machinery should be geared up well in advance, with good amount of intelligence gathering, it said. “In a democracy, solutions are found through restraint and mutual dialogue”, he said.
No major untoward incidents have been reported from other parts of the state as well.
Accounting giant E&Y on Monday advised its workers to leave the early and avoid travelling in vehicles with Tamil Nadu plates in Karnataka, and vice versa for those in Tamil Nadu.
Siddaramaiah has also appealed for peace and has written to his counterpart in Tamil Nadu, urging her to ensure the safety of Kannada speaking people living in the state.
Advertisement
To many, Bengaluru’s rise reflects the modern face of a booming India, but the city has also been a victim of poor urban planning and congestion that can produce traffic jams for hours.
