Members of the security forces make their way past burning lorries in Bengaluru, which were set on fire by protesters after India's Supreme Court ordered Karnataka state to release 12,000 cubic feet of water per second every day from the Cauvery river to neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
Members of the security forces make their way past burning lorries in Bengaluru, which were set on fire by protesters after India’s Supreme Court ordered Karnataka state to release 12,000 cubic feet of water per second every day from the Cauvery river to neighboring Tamil Nadu.
BENGALURU (Diya TV) — Protestors in the southern India city of Bangalore have been attacking shops and setting fire to vehicles in a long-running dispute with the Supreme Court over its orders to the state of Karnataka to share more of its water with the neighboring Tamil Nadu.
The high court have ordered Karnataka release 12,000 cubic feet of water per second from the Cauvery river until Sept. 20. Both states have argued that they are in dire need of the water for irrigation usage. The battle over access to the supply has gone for decades.
The court had this morning modified an earlier order and said Karnataka has to release less water to Tamil Nadu, but for five more days. Karnataka, which will end up giving more water, urged a review but the court refused.
Recent violence from the protest forced local tech hub offices to close their doors, and much of the public transportation system has been effected as well. Karnataka stopped buses from heading to Tamil Nadu and police jeeps were positioned along the border to warn vehicles against entering that state.
Police have imposed an emergency law that prohibits public gatherings, and more than 15,000 officers have been deployed.
“Rapid Action Force Teams have been deployed all over the city,” Bengaluru city police said on Twitter on Monday. “We urge to all Bengalurians…Stay calm and not to panic.”
Reuters reported that Tamil Nadu registered vehicles were being singled out by protesters and pelted with stones. Thus far, only one fatality has been reported.
Bengaluru is home to top Indian IT companies such as Infosys Ltd, Wipro Ltd and Mphasis as well as offices of several multinational companies like Samsung Electronics.
Media reported a small number of attacks on Tamil-owned property in Karnataka, while Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said on Twitter that he had asked his Tamil Nadu counterpart, J. Jayalalithaa, to investigate reports of violence in Tamil Nadu against people originally from his state.
