Cauvery row: Buses, Metro and calm resume in Bengaluru

 

Following strict security measures and an appeal by the state government and leaders of pro-Kannada organisations for the maintenance of peace, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation,  Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation and Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation resumed operations.          

                          

KSRTC buses to Chikkaballapura district, Tumkuru, Ramanagar, Kolar,  Hassan, Mandya, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru started plying from dawn on Tuesday. 

 

"The transport corporations decided to ply the buses as the situation has improved," said Ramalinga Reddy,  Transport Minister.     

 

Police said Rajgopal Nagar, Kamakshipalya, Vijaynagar, Byatarayanpura Kengeri, Magadi Road, Rajajinagar, RR Nagara, KP Agrahara Chandra layout, Yeshwanathapura, Mahalakshmi layout, Peenya, RMC Yard, Nandini Layout and Jnanabharathi are under curfew.                            

                       

Vatal Nagaraj, who is spearheading the Cauvery and Mahadayi agitation in the state, issued a statement declaring that attacks and vandalism were not the solutions. 

 

However, pro-Kannada outfits will continue their 'agitation' against the Supreme Court and state government for releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.    

            

Defending Vatal's statement,  Praveen Shetty,  Karnataka Rakshana Vedike President said, "The vandalism by activists was a knee jerk reaction after Tamil mobs targeted Kannadigas in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil government should understand that in Karnataka the situation is very grim."

 
"Also there are over 70 lakh Tamils living in Karnataka, " he said.            

                     

Meanwhile, Damodaharan,  President Karnataka-Tamil Sangam, has appealed to Chief Minister Siddarmaiah to deploy extra forces in Mysuru,  Mandya and Bengaluru after shops owned by Tamils were ransacked and compelled to shut in Mysuru District. 

 

"I have appealed to the Tamil Nadu government also to give additional security to Kannadigas as attacks on them will strain the relationships of Karnataka Tamils here. The Tamils living here have always sided with Karnataka in its struggle," said Dhamodharan.               

Meanwhile, Bengaluru, which witnessed a death after police opened fire on protestors last night,  looked calm. 

 

Tens of thousands of devotees of the Muslim community offered Eid prayers on the occasion of Bakri Eid without any hassles. No incidents of vandalism were reported. 

 

Maqsood Imran Rashadi, the head priest of the Karnataka Sunni Muslim Community and the nominal leader of over 6000 mosques, pitched for peace and continued community support for the Cauvery struggle in his Eid sermon. 

 

He said, "The Karnataka Muslim Community should join the Cauvery struggle and demand for a committee.  Committee should do the field study and based on this the judgement should be given. The people responsible for the field study should work on the field and should not limit themselves to AC rooms, "

 

Widespread violence erupted in Bengaluru and some other parts of Karnataka on Monday, while sporadic trouble was witnessed in Tamil Nadu following the Supreme Court's modified order on sharing Cauvery water by the two riparian states. 

 

Police opened fire when a mob tried to attack a patrol vehicle at Hegganahalli in Rajagopal Nagar police limits as violence flared up in Bengaluru city with rampaging mobs setting fire to buses and trucks with Tamil Nadu registration plates.