Bengaluru: While several Kannada organisations have called for a statewide bandh on Friday, angry over the Supreme Court verdict on Cauvery favouring Tamil Nadu, bus services between the two states took a hit on Tuesday with a Karnataka State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus set on fire at Salem in Tamil Nadu.
KSRTC cancelled 700 buses to Mysuru, Mandya, Ooty and several parts of Tamil Nadu. Several parts in the state, especially near the KRS Dam in Mandya, and Bengaluru erupted with protests that affected normal life.
Flash protests by Kannada outfits were seen in Marathahalli, Hosur Road and Mysuru Road affecting the traffic flow to two major IT corridors and between Mysuru and Bengaluru.
A few protesters blackened Water Resources Minister M.B. Patil’s name board at his house in Sadashivnagar, while others painted black Tamil Nadu buses that were parked at the Mysuru Road Satellite bus-stand.
A few agitators clashed with the police in front of Vidhan Soudha and were taken into preventive custody. A large number of police personnel were deployed at sensitive areas where Tamil population is high in the city.
Roads blocked, screening of Tamil movies stopped
Unhappy over the Supreme Court verdict on Cauvery, several areas in Bengaluru on Tuesday witnessed protests by various pro-Kannada outfits who blocked roads resulting traffic snarls, but also painted black the house name board of water resources minister M.B. Patil and some buses from Tamil Nadu.
Activists of Kasturi Janapara Vedike, a pro-Kannada outfit staged protest in Marathahalli, thereby affecting traffic flow to the IT corridors of Mahadevpura and Whitefield. They also blocked traffic on Mysore Road, but policemen deployed for bandubast were able to control the situation.
Members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) protested in front of Minister Patil’s house in Sadhashivnagar. Around ten Tamil Nadu buses parked in the Satellite bus stand on Mysore Road were painted black.
The agitators also blocked the Hosur road at Attibele near Tamil Nadu border and prevented vehicles from Tamil Nadu enter the city. Tamil movie screenings were abruptly stopped at two theatres Natraja in Sheshadripuram and Pushpanjali in R.T. Nagar on Tuesday.
The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike members also protested in front of Vidhan Soudha towards the evening, where there was a heavy deployment of Karnataka Industrial Force personnel. Some KRV members tried to clash with the police and were taken into preventive custody.
‘No threat to Tamilians living in state’
Outbursts against Tamilians living in the state by a few second rung leaders of Kannada organisations in a few channels created tension among the community members across the state. Later in the day, a delegation of Bengaluru Tamil Sangam, led by its president G. Damodaran, met Home Minister G. Parameshwar seeking protection.
A few Kannada leaders on Tuesday morning issued statements that if anything happens to Kannadigas living in Tamil Nadu, Tamilians living in Bengaluru will be made to pay.
But Karnataka Rakshana Vedike denied that any of its leaders issued such statements. “Both Kannadigas and Tamilians are like brothers. So there is no question of creating any problems for Tamils staying in the state,” said Kannada Rakshana Vedike general secretary Sannirappa.
Around 10 buses belonging to the Tamil Nadu Transport Corporation were also blackened at the satellite bus terminus on Mysuru road. With KSRTC operating all Mysuru and Ooty bound buses from this terminus, hundreds of protesters held laid siege to the bus station, creating panic among passengers who were stuck after the services were cancelled.
