Bengaluru: Kannada organisations have decided to block all trains in the state on Thursday to protest against the Cauvery water crisis. Mr Vatal Nagaraj, ex-MLA and Kannada activist, said that the Rail Rokho will be held between 6 am and 6 pm. “We will block all the trains running across the state,” he said. He assured the people that the protest will be peaceful.
South Western Railway officials said that there is no change in the schedules of trains. “The trains will run as per schedule. Appropriate measures have been taken. We will station Railway Police, state police and Rapid Response Force to run the trains safely and punctually. The policemen will be present at all stations in Bengaluru," said Mr Sridhar Murthy, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, South Western Railways.
35 more arrested for rioting, violence
The city police arrested 35 more people on Wednesday for inciting violence and for their alleged involvement in arson and rioting. With 335 arrests on Tuesday, the total number of people arrested for Monday’s violence has gone up to 370. Teams of policemen scanning through videos of violence zeroed in on the suspects and arrested them.
The RR Nagar police arrested seven labourers for setting 42 buses of KPN Travels on fire in D’ Souza Nagar. The arrested were working in Peenya and Kengeri and have been identified as Chandan, 19, Kiran, 27, Prakash, 46, Rakshith, 19, Satish, 27, Kempegowda, 28 and Lokesh, 25, all residents of Veerabhadranagar and D’ Souza Nagar.
The arrested have been booked under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 427 (mischief causing damage), 437 (mischief with intent to destroy or make unsafe a vessel), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons) and 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage).
A senior police officer said that more arrests are likely as the police are still scanning the video footage and pictures. On Tuesday, the city police had appealed to the public to share videos and images to book the offenders who laid siege to Bengaluru.
