Freedom Park sole location for rallies during Karnataka Bandh: Bengaluru Police Commissioner

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 29 (ANI): As pro-Kannada and farmers’ organisations have called for a ‘Karnataka Bandh’ on Friday to protest the release of Cauvery water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda on Thursday said that the Freedom Park is the sanctioned location for protests and rallies in the city.

He warned that if any damage to the property occurs, the respective protesting organization will be held accountable for the costs.

“The sole sanctioned location for protests and rallies is Freedom Park. However, any organisation can lend their support on their own and not by force. If any damage to the property occurs, the respective protesting organization will be held accountable for the costs,”  Dayananda said. 

Meanwhile, in view of the bandh, the district administrations in Bengaluru and Mandya announced a holiday for educational institutions on Friday in their respective jurisdiction. 

In Mandya, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) have been imposed as well.

The state transport minister Ramalinga Reddy said that the government will ensure the service of  Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation buses tomorrow. 

“Those who are doing bandh should do it peacefully. the transport buses will ply despite the bandh tomorrow and there is no need for passengers to worry,” Minister Reddy said.

However, he said that fewer buses will be plying throughout the state tomorrow than usual. 

Karnataka has been witnessing protests over the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu after the Supreme Court refused to intervene in the decisions of the Cauvery Water Management Authority(CWMA) and its assisting body Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) that directed the state to do so.

In the latest decision, the CWRC had ordered Karnataka to ensure the release of 3,000 cusecs of Cauvery water at Biligundlu starting from September 28 till October 15, 2023. In the earlier spell, it was 5,000 cusecs.

Members of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Swabhimani Sene on Thursday interrupted a press conference being held by actor Siddharth for his film and demanded he leave the venue.

The actor was promoting his upcoming film ‘Chikku’ in Bengaluru when the members of Karnataka Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Swabhimani Sene disrupted the event, saying that it was not an appropriate time for him to do that as Tamil Nadu was demanding Cauvery River water from Karnataka.

Also, a group of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) activists on Thursday held a massive protest in Bengaluru against the state MPs and Siddaramaiah Government over the Cauvery River water issue.

The KRV activists shouted slogans of “Cauvery Is Ours” as they protested against the release of the river water to Tamil Nadu.

KRV Women’s Wing President Ashwini Gowda said that this is the time for all Kannadigas to come together and demanded that the state-elected MPs should come up and speak up on the matter and stand for the people of Karnataka or resign from the post.

“The issue has been raised for 150 years and I think this is the right time for all Kannadigas to come and have a better conclusion,” she said in a statement.

The KRV activist also demanded the Prime Minister’s intervention in the matter.

“The MPs of Karnataka do not want to raise this issue and they do not want to talk about this. There is not even a single MP talking about the issue of Cauvery, we want them to talk or we want them to resign,” she said.