• Total bandh in Dharwad, Hubli, Gadag, Belagavi, Chikkaballapur and Anekal• The Mahadayi Tribunal had yesterday rejected Karnataka’s plea to release water from the Mahadayi river to Karnataka• Most schools, colleges in North Karnataka remained closed• Additional police force deployed to control the angry protesters
The Mahadayi Tribunal had yesterday rejected Karnataka’s plea to release 7.5TMC water from the Mahadayi river to Karnataka. The water would have provided drinking water to North Karnataka.
Naturally, the whole of North Karnataka has joined hands in protest for water from the Mahadayi. The bandh was total in Hubballi-Dharwad, Gadag, Belagavi and other districts in North Karnataka.
It received a strong response in Chikkaballapur and Anekal districts as well. In some places, police resorted to lathi charges to control angry crowds.
Let us have a look at the way people staged protests in their respective districts:
Dharwad
Schools and colleges remained closed in the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and in Navalagunda, Naragunda and Annigeri, where protests turned violent.
Over 30 associations, including the Autorickshaw Drivers Association and the Hotel Owners’ Association, have extended their support to the bandh. Movie theatres and petrol bunks are also closed.
Not even a single bus was seen on the roads, as both districts wore a deserted look.
Joining hands with the protesters, banks have announced Thursday as a holiday. Farmers were seen staging protests from the wee hours of the morning itself. In many places, protesters have set truck tyres on fire.
At Navalagund taluk, farmers laid siege to government offices, pelted stones at the post office and the BSNL office, and destroyed furniture. Additional police personnel have been deployed to control the crowd.
Gadag
Various pro-Kannada organisation activists conducted semi-nude processions, shouting slogans against Centre and BJP for not taking the Mahadayi river project (Kalasa Banduri) further.
Protesters barged into the vegetable market at Mulagunda and Police had to lathi-charge them to disperse the crowd. Schools and colleges throughout Gadag remained closed. Selling liquor and wine has also been banned in the district.
Belagavi
Most of Belagavi remained shut. A holiday was announced for schools and colleges at Khanapur, Kittoor, Bailahongala, Savadatti, Ramadurga and Belagavi cities. Selling liquor has been prohibited in the district.
Chikkaballapur
Farmers associations in the district have extended their support to the bandh. Farmers have gathered in large numbers in Ambedkar Circle. They staged protests by throwing eggs at photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Protesters also conducted processions in Anekal.
