Cauvery row: 700 additional central forces rush to Karnataka

NEW DELHI: An additional 700 riot control police personnel have been rushed to Karnataka to tackle the situation arising out of the protests over Cauvery river water sharing.

The Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel have been sent to the violence-prone areas of Karnataka to assist the local administration to ensure peace, official sources said.

With this, a total of 1,700 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in violence-hit areas of Karnataka for maintaining law and order.

An uneasy calm prevailed in Bengaluru today after outbreak of violence over the issue of sharing Cauvery River water with Tamil Nadu, as Karnataka's Siddaramaiah government warned of "stringent" action against vandalism or attempts to disturb peace.

Yesterday, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh called up Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and assured them all central assistance in handling the law and order situation in the two states which have been hit by violence over Cauvery dispute.