Karnataka is set to witness a day-long state-wide bandh on Friday, September 29 in protest against the release of Cauvery river water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu. The bandh, called by pro-Kannada groups, comes after a Bengaluru bandh held on Tuesday, September 26, which evoked a partial response.
However, there is a split within the pro-Kannada groups themselves. One faction of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike led by Praveen Shetty will be doing a protest at Town Hall. They have said that they will ensure the bandh is followed and the highways will be blocked. Another faction of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike led by Narayanagowda will not be supporting the bandh.
The Karnataka bandh will be in effect for 12 hours from 6am to 6pm on September 29. Farmers and pro-Kannada groups are set to take out a massive protest procession from Town Hall to Freedom park in Bengaluru, among other places across the state.
Several organisations which initially supported the bandh on September 26, had withdrawn their support and chose to support the state-wide bandh on September 29. Several services are likely to be impacted in Bengaluru and the rest of the state from 6 am to 6 pm. Here’s how the bandh will impact Bengaluru:
Cab aggregator services such as Ola and Uber will not operate during the bandh. Extending their support to the Karnataka bandh, Tanveer Pasha, president of the Ola Uber Drivers and Owners Association, said, “we will be following the bandh tomorrow from 6 am to 6 pm. All our drivers have been informed. We will hold a rally from Nayandahalli to Town Hall.” However, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has said that they will operate with police protection.
The Registered Unaided Private Schools Management Association (RUPSA) has left the decision to declare a holiday on September 29 up to the schools. "We fully extend our support to the Karnataka bandh on September 29. Depending on the situation that day, it is at the discretion of government authorities and school management to decide whether or not to declare a holiday," said Lokesh Talikatte, president of RUPSA. Bangalore University has postponed its 58th convocation scheduled for September 29.
Similarly, it is not yet known if hotels will remain open or closed. PC Rao, president of Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association had withdrawn their support for the bandh on September 26 and chosen to support the Karnataka bandh. However, there has been no word from the association about their stance since then.
Bengaluru Police has made elaborate security arrangements to handle the Karnataka bandh. Bengaluru Police Commissioner, Dayananda said that they have said that no organisation or political party has approached them with written permission for a bandh. “No protests, procession, or rallies will be allowed in the city of Bengaluru. Whoever wants to do a protest are free to do it in Freedom Park. Prohibition orders under Section 144 CrPC will be active from midnight of September 28 to September 29. More than five people cannot gather and no one will be allowed to enforce the bandh on others,” he further said.
Emergency services such as hospitals, pharmacies, ambulances and government offices will remain open.