Cauvery protests: Indian, foreign companies resume operations in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Indian and foreign companies reopened offices on Wednesday and staff trickled back to work in Bengaluru, after violent protests on Monday over a Supreme Court order on sharing of Cauvery river water.

Software major Infosys as well as multinationals like Amazon.com were among major employers who had asked workers to stay home on Tuesday while police enforced a curfew in parts of the city.

"We are working today," said Sarah Gideon, spokeswoman for Infosys.
A spokeswoman for Amazon, the world's top online retailer, said its employees had returned to office and its delivery service was running as normal.

Protests in Bengaluru erupted after the Supreme Court, on Monday, ordered Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs of water from Cauvery river to neighbouring Tamil Nadu, reigniting a long-simmering dispute in the region about who gets to use the water.

Read: Cauvery protests: Curfew lifted, Bengaluru limps back to normalcy

At least two people were killed in clashes between protesters and police.
Curfew imposed in 16 locations in the city was removed on Wednesday, but security personnel are still out on the streets in large numbers to maintain peace.

"The city is back to normalcy," Deputy Commissioner of Police MGN Kumar said on Twitter.

Local buses and the metro have resumed operations. Shops and street kiosks have also reopened.

During the violence, demonstrators stopped vehicles with Tamil Nadu registrations, pulled passengers out and torched cars and buses while throwing police with stones, police and witnesses said.Businesses in Bengaluru, with an estimated population of around a crore, have faced four days of disruption this month from the water dispute and an unrelated trade union-organised strike on September 2.