The umbrella organisation known as Kannada Okkoota representing Kannada and various farmers' groups, has called for a bandh in Karnataka on Friday, September 29, to protest against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. In Bengaluru, Kannada activists have taken to the streets in several parts of the city to stage protests and blockades. So far, there have been no reports of violence or untoward incidents, but the police are restricting protests to Freedom Park, as well as disallowing them in other parts of the city.
Owing to the bandh, 44 flights scheduled to depart from or arrive at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Friday were cancelled, including 22 incoming and 22 outgoing flights.
There is a massive presence of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police at Town Hall in Bengaluru, with a total of 100 platoons deployed for security. Activists attempting to stage protests are being detained and relocated away from the Town Hall area. Activists also protested at the Kempegowda International Airport, with at least 20 of them being detained and taken to Freedom Park.
Freedom Park has become the focal point for all Cauvery-related protests in the city. Many Kannada activists who initially protested at locations like Town Hall, Satellite Bus Station on Mysuru Road, and Gandhinagar have been detained by city police and transported to Freedom Park.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code have been imposed in Bengaluru Urban, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagara, Ramanagara, and Hassan districts. Schools and colleges in these districts have been declared closed. Normal life has been disrupted in Mysuru and surrounding districts, which also led to the suspension of KSRTC services in the city.
However, the bandh had minimal impact in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi twin districts, where public transportation, educational institutions, and government offices operated as usual. Belagavi also remained unaffected by the bandh, with schools and businesses continuing to function normally.
With the support of over 1,900 associations across the state, many non-essential shops, especially in southern Karnataka, including Bengaluru, have remained closed during the bandh. Essential services such as hospitals, ambulances, chemist shops, and banks are operating as usual.