The Hindu : Front Page : Peaceful protests in Karnataka

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 07, 2007
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Front Page

Front Page

Peaceful protests in Karnataka

Special Correspondent

— Photo: K. Gopinathan.

UNHAPPY KARNATAKA: Members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike protesting against the Cauvery Tribunal verdict in Bangalore on Tuesday.

BANGALORE: Karnataka on Tuesday saw widespread but largely peaceful protests in Bangalore, and an undeclared bandh in the Cauvery basin districts of Mysore, Mandya and Chamarajanagar by farmers' organisations and Kannada groups over the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's award.

A planned all-party meeting here on the issue was postponed to Wednesday following the death of a Congress MLA, U.T. Farid.

A Karnataka bandh called by Kannada organisations for February 8 has been postponed to February 12, as a culmination of a five-day protest programme. The Chief Minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy, apparently requested the postponement in view of the Aero India show that starts here on Wednesday.

In Bangalore, educational institutions and some business establishments were closed.

There were sporadic protests, including `urulu seve' (rolling on the ground) by members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike.

In Mandya, the Cauvery Farmers' Welfare Committee rejected the award saying it had failed to give a fair deal to farmers in the Cauvery basin area in Karnataka.

A meeting held under the leadership of the former Minister, G. Made Gowda, decided to announce the future course of action after studying the award.

Mysore saw meetings by the Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha and other forums. They decided to mount pressure on the Centre against gazetting the award.