Cauvery: Farmers call for Mandya bandh on Saturday to protest water release to TN

Farmer and pro-Kannada outfits have called for bandh in Mandya district on Saturday to protest orders to release 5000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as people held demonstrations in several parts of the Old Mysuru region, including Bengaluru, on Friday.

Karnataka is battling a crisis after the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s (CWRC) orders to release 5000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu.

Swami Nirmalanandanatha, head of the influential Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt, joined the protest demonstrations in Mandya on Friday, expressing solidarity with the farmers, and pledging his support to the agitation. He insisted that Karnataka must fight the case legally in the apex court.


Cauvery is the lifeline for farmers in Mandya district, where they grow sugarcane in large areas.

The police have stepped up security arrangements in Bengaluru and other old Mysuru regions as film stars too have expressed support for the Cauvery agitation. The police are maintaining tight vigil to ensure anti-social elements don’t exploit the situation and target people or offices of people from Tamil Nadu.

Home Minister G Parameshwara said the government recognized people’s right to peaceful protest, but the police would intervene and deal firmly if anyone took law into their hands and indulged in violence.

The Opposition BJP and JDS have come down heavily on the ruling Congress, accusing it of compromising on Karnataka’s interests to please its ally the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu.