Pro-Kannada groups along with farmers' organisations and Aam Aadmi Party converged at Bengaluru's Freedom Park on Tuesday, September 26 under the banner of Karnataka Jala Samrakshana Samiti to protest the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. The bandh that was called on Tuesday, passed off peacefully, with a partial response. While transport services were up and running, the city remained largely shut. Police presence remained high in the city and police imposed section 144 of CrPC and deployed a large force to keep the protesters in check.
With a resounding chorus of "Cauvery namma hakku (Cauvery is our right)," demonstrators rolled on the ground. A member of the Jaya Karnataka Janapara Vedike went on to grip a stone between his teeth and balanced an empty plate on his head. He said, “There’s no water to grow crops. We are in dire situation of eating stones.” In a provocative gesture, a faction of pro-Kannada activists organised a mock funeral procession for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in Ramanagara. Malvalli and Mandya towns also experienced a bandh, with most of the shops shut down.
The protest rally, initially slated from Town Hall to Freedom Park, encountered a hurdle as several protestors were detained at Town Hall. Farmer leader Kuruburu Shanthakumar along with other protesters was detained by the police near Mysuru Bank Circle and was later brought to the protest site in Freedom Park.
Only one incident of violence was reported when a few people damaged a hotel in Jayanagar 3rd block on Tuesday morning around 10 am. Customers at the Udupi Food Hub were chased away by the miscreants, who later destroyed the chairs and furniture in the hotel. A complaint has been registered with the Jayanagar police.
Most people opted to work from home. Transport services like BMTC buses, metro services and taxi services remained unaffected. Restaurants and hotels carried on with business as usual as hoteliers withdrew their support for the strike on Monday. In a precautionary measure, schools and colleges remained closed for the day, ensuring the safety and convenience of students and staff. Stringent security measures were implemented along the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border at Hosur, with a particular emphasis on safeguarding buses heading towards Tamil Nadu.
Initially, associations representing hotel and taxi drivers rallied behind the bandh, expressing their support for the cause but later withdrew it. By 10 am, cabs were once again plying the city's streets, signaling a return to normalcy. The change in support was linked to the impending statewide bandh scheduled for September 29. The JD(S) and BJP also supported the bandh, with the JD(S) conducting a rally from its office on Platform Road to Freedom Park.
The Cauvery water dispute, a recurrent flashpoint between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, has been ongoing since the British Raj. The bandh on Tuesday was in response to the direction from the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), mandating the Karnataka Government to release 5,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu.
Amidst the bandh, the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) on Tuesday recommended that Karnataka release 3,000 cusecs of water for 15 days. The committee said that the water should be released at Biligundlu at 8 am on September 28 and continue until October 15.