Pro-Kannada Organisation activists tried to lay siege to the city railway station and the international airport to register their protest against the interim order of the Mahadayi tribunal.
The protesters raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all the 28 MPs of Karnataka for failing to address the water crisis in North Karnataka.
Mahadayi verdict: Actor Shivarajkumar joins the protest
Narayan Gowda, President of the 'Kannada Vedike', lashed out at central leaders and state MPs for giving step motherly treatment to North Karnataka issues.
"The Kalsa Banduri and Mahadayi water flows into the ocean and does not benefit anyone. This fact could not be argued well by Fali S Nariman, the advocate appointed by the Karnataka government. The government should change the advocate," he said.
Bengaluru: Protestors halt Metro; city silent but calm
Similarly, 'Karnataka Rakshana Vedike' President Praveen Shetty, along with a Dalit organisation, raised slogans against the Union government at the Town Hall. Members of 'Jai Karnataka' did 'urulu seve', i.e., rolling on the ground bare-chested, before the Kannada Sahitya Parishat in central Bengaluru.
Several pro-Kannada organisation members forcibly stopped auto rickshaws and taxis and also damaged a few vehicles. The police took several protesters into preventive custody.
Members of 'Kannada Rakshana Vedike' also performed a funeral for PM Modi and Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. Several members also tortured their heads and took out a motorcycle rally from Mysore Bank Circle, crossing the central bus stand and other areas.
Karnataka bandh: Police accused of atrocities in Navalgund
Manjunath Devaru, a member of the 'Kannada Jagruthi Vedike', said. "The leaders from the state have been declared dead by Kannada organisations as they have collectively failed to ensure justice for the districts of North Karnataka that are facing a water crisis.
As the members of the pro-Kannada organisations took out several rallies, many parts of the city remained shut, fearing arson. The transport system was also suspended, the including Metro rail service.
