Inputs from TOI and other sources
Tuesday, 9-40 am IST
Worry and Suspense in Bangalore, Violence Less than Expected
Bangalore, Feb 6: Minutes after the verdict was out on Monday afternoon, the city shut down fearing trouble. Shops, theatres were closed, while schools and colleges, IT companies, private offices declared a holiday.
Cable operators blocked private a few channels. In many areas of the city, there was a cable blackout. The number of autorickshaws plying on the roads also reduced towards the evening. Though Volvos were withdrawn, BMTC added 100 extra buses between 3 and 5 pm to facilitate the sudden surge of passengers.
With citizens rushing home, there were traffic jams in most places.However, when the rush cleared, the roads wore a deserted look.
Though the city was peaceful, rumours flew and anxious Bangaloreans called up newspaper offices wanting to know if it was safe to go out. As if to allay their fears, police commissioner N Achuta Rao made use of cellphone networks and sent SMS: "Dear Bangaloreans, situation is peaceful in the city. Please do not panic or heed to rumours about untoward incidents."
Additional policemen were deployed in hyper sensitive areas having a sizeable population of Tamil-Kannadigas.Armed policemen drawn from the CRPF, KSRP, CAR and RAF took positions on the roads identified as troublesome areas. Over 16,000 policemen were deployed to maintain law and order. Senior police officers constantly monitored the situation. Police officers are holding peace meetings in mixed population areas.
"If necessary, we will clamp prohibitory orders in the sensitive areas and we have been told to deal firmly with mischief makers and those indulging in rumour mongering," police officials said.
The city remained peaceful with sporadic incidents of stone throwing and burning of tyres in Rajajinagar, Magadi Road, Thambu Chetty Palya on Old Madras Road — the areas that are considered strongholds of Kannada movement. Around 150 activists who went to the city railway station to stop the Chennai-Mysore Shatabdi train were arrested and RPF and KSRP forces were deployed.
As a precautionary measure, incoming and outgoing Tamil Nadu buses were stopped. KSRTC stopped operating its buses to Tamil Nadu. Bangalore-bound buses from Tamil Nadu too stopped operations. Buses originating from Bangalore towards Mysore, Chamarajnagar,Kollegal were also withdrawn.
Bangalore outsourcers may be affected by dispute
By John Ribeiro, IDG News Service
Feud over river waters has led to violence in the past and could cause problems for Bangalore-based outsourcing firms
The order covers Karnataka, of which Bangalore is the capital, and the neighboring Tamil Nadu state. Besides Indian outsourcers like Infosys and Wipro, a number of multinational companies, including Dell, IBM, and Accenture have global services operations in Bangalore.
The tribunal, set up to arbitrate the dispute, delivered a verdict on Monday that has angered the people of Karnataka, who want a larger share of the waters of the Cauvery river. Disputes over sharing the waters of the Cauvery have in the past led to violence in Karnataka.
A verdict over sharing of Cauvery water by another panel, in 1991, sparked off anti-Tamil violence in Karnataka, which left about 18 people dead. Karnataka has a significant number of settlers from Tamil Nadu.
A few Bangalore IT companies closed operations early on Monday and asked their staff to work from home as they were worried that news of the order would trigger off violence in the city. Most others however ran their operations normally.
"It is business as usual as extra police have been deployed, and everything seems under control," said a spokeswoman for Infosys of Bangalore. Infosys, which is India’s second largest outsourcer, is in touch with the government and is evaluating the situation round-the-clock, she added.
Accenture, which also has a large operation in Bangalore, is working normally, said a spokesman for the company. The company has staff working on both day and night shifts.
So far, there have been reports of only sporadic protests in Bangalore and surrounding districts. The government of Karnataka deployed about 18,000 police in the city ahead of the tribunal's verdict.
If violence erupts or if there are calls for strikes, IT companies may have to temporarily scale down their Bangalore operations as it will become difficult for staff to get to work. Most IT companies like Infosys and Wipro have business continuity plans in place to move work to their facilities in other locations in India.
Cauvery: HC moved seeking protection to Tamils
Chennai: Fearing for the safety of Tamils residing in Karnataka in view of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal's final award delivered on Monday, a farmers' organisation in Tamil Nadu has moved the Madras High Court for a direction to the Centre to protect the lives and properties of Tamils in the neighbouring state.
In the writ petition, president of the Cuddalore-based organisation alleged that on the pretext of opposing the interim award of the tribunal in 1991 "violence was unleashed on Tamils in Karnataka."
A three-day bandh called by Karnataka against the interim award witnessed unprecedented violence and destruction of properties, danger to lives and liberties and masses fleeing Bangalore cities and other adjoining towns, he alleged.
The pattern of the offensive launched clearly showed that the violence was deliberate and pre-planned and the police remained silent spectators, he alleged.
He submitted that on the eve of the final award of the tribunal, he had sent a representation to the Centre and Tamil Nadu government seeking protection to Tamils living in Karnataka.
The petitioner sought an interim injunction restraining the Karnataka government from declaring any bandh in that state till the disposal of the petition.
Earlier coverage:
Cauvery Water Award - updates from Karnataka
Monday, 4-45 pm
Karnataka CM Convenes All-party Meet
Bangalore, Feb 5: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has called an all party meeting here this evening to discuss the award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.
Soon after the award was out, Kumaraswamy told reporters that he would react only after the meeting. In anticipation of the award, police remained on alert in Bangalore and Mysore and Mandya districts in the Cauvery belt, to thwart any trouble.
Several schools announced closure as a precautionary measure.
Quiet flows the Cauvery, towards Tamil Nadu
According to transport authorities, private buses have been withdrawn from service in Bangalore.
"It would not be appropriate to comment without seeing the full contents of the award," Kumaraswamy said.
He said the state's next step would be decided after consulting leaders of all parties and irrigation experts.
Kumaraswamy said suitable steps had been taken to maintain law and order in the wake of the award and appealed to farmers and other organisations to maintain peace.
Bangalore on high alert after Cauvery verdict
Bangalore: With the Cauvery tribunal giving its final verdict on the sharing of river waters with Tamil Nadu, Bangalore on Monday braced itself for violence even as hundreds of people were taken into preventive custody and many Tamil workers began to flee towards the border anticipating attacks.
The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal announced in New Delhi its final verdict on the sharing of waters of the river that passes through both states. It awarded 419 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) to Tamil Nadu and 270 to Karnataka.
The city police have deployed about 16,000 men, including three platoons of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), to pre-empt trouble. Schools and colleges have been partially closed.
"About 700 anti-social elements have been detained across the city as part of the security measures to prevent a repeat of the 1991 riots that rocked Bangalore (after the tribunal's interim award asking Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu)," city police commissioner N. Achut Rao said.
Security has been tightened in the districts of Mysore, Mandya and Chamarajanagar in the Cauvery basin where farmers have threatened to launch mass agitation in case the award goes against their interests.
"The situation is under control. We have deployed one platoon of RAF in each of the three districts and hundreds of the state reserve police to pre-empt any untoward incident," a top police official in-charge of law and order in the Mysore region said.
There is heavy deployment of police in sensitive areas of the city where Tamil-speaking people are in sizeable number, including suburbs such as Srirampura, Halasuru, Chamrajpet and City Market.
"To ensure people's safety and security of their property, movement of vehicle and suspicious elements are being monitored. We have installed closed circuit TVs at sensitive places and beefed up security where Tamil-speaking people live in large numbers," Rao said.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of Tamil-speaking workers in the construction and other sectors were seen heading towards Hosur on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border fearing attacks.
"Vehicles from Tamil Nadu on the National Highway 7 have stopped entering into the state from Hosur and vehicular traffic from Karnataka into Tamil Nadu is piling up in the border area," the police official said.
The 1991 interim order had sparked large-scale violence against Tamils, a linguistic minority in the city, claiming 20 lives and injuring hundreds. "We are not taking any chances, as the city is limping back to normalcy after communal riots (Jan 18-20)," Rao disclosed.
The police have been directed to sternly deal with any law and order situation, keeping in view the emotive issue between the people of the neighbouring states on the sharing of the Cauvery waters. Meanwhile, the Karnataka Tamils Federation has written to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and local officials to protect Tamils living in the city and other areas of the Cauvery basin.
Federation president A P Shanmuga Sundaram said there was a threat perception to Tamils in view of the tribunal's final order. Locals (read Kannadigas) have often protested over the influx of Tamils to Bangalore for work from the state.
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have been fighting an emotion-charged, protracted legal battle over sharing of the Cauvery water that flows from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu for over a century.
Cauvery is an emotive issue raising passions and leading to violence in the region. A farmer died by jumping into the Kabini reservoir near Mysore in protest against the release of water in 2002, leading to tension in the region.
Police Stage Flag March in Mysore
Star of Mysore
Mysore: Elaborate security arrangements have been made in the Cauvery basin districts of Mysore, Mandya and Chamarajanagar as the countdown began for the final verdict on Cauvery row.
More than 500 Police personnel summoned from Kerala were briefed by IGP R.P. Sharma, SP S Murugan and Additional SP Bhagavandas at DAR grounds this morning. A flag march by Rapid Action Force, DAR and Civil Police forces was taken out from SP’s office here and passed through Srirangapatna and Mandya along with arms, ammunitions and 20 vehicles.
The march on reaching Maddur, returned to Mysore through Hunsur, Yelwal and Bilikere.
It will proceed to Nanjangud via Kadakola and Thandavapura. From Nanjangud it will go to T.Narasipur and will return to City by 4.30 pm.
Speaking to Star of Mysore over telephone, Police Commissioner Praveen Sood said that 10 Mounted Police have been posted at K.R. Circle.
Security has been beefed up at Udayagiri Circle, Ballal Circle, Agrahara Circle and Fountain Circle. Each team comprises of Police officers headed by ACPs and Police Inspectors who will be patrolling the city.
As reported earlier, 13 KSRP platoons and 150 staff of RAF are being deployed for security. Apart from this, one platoon of Malabar Special Police from Kerala, 15 DAR platoons and 450 Home Guards are also deputed both in city and district.
Additional Police officers including Dy.SPs, CPS, PSIs and other staff from three divisions and from Shimoga district have also been pressed into service. A total of 41 vehicles have been kept at the disposal of the Police.
Flash news - Monday, 3-50 pm IST
from our special correspondent in Bangalore
Bangalore, Feb 5: With the Cauvery Water Tribunal's final verdict announced on Monday afternoon in Delhi going much in Tamil Nadu's favour, the Cauvery basin farmers are likely to go up in arms in protest as the quantum allotted to the state might not be up to their demands.
File pic the Mettur dam across river Cauvery in Tamil Nadu
Although, sensing an adverse decision, the state government had deployed heavy security in Bangalore, besides Mandya and adjoining areas, there have been reports of traffic being blocked on the Mysore road.
As the news spreads, there are chances of violence, for which the police are fully prepared.
However, an all-party meeting held on Saturday had assured the government to maintain calm and give full support to the government on this issue.
After the verdict, the state government has officially responded saying it was a satisfactory verdict.
Former state minister of law H K Patil of Congress told a private TV channel that it was a fit case for the state government to put up a review petition. Another former law minister M C Nanaiah also echoed the same opinion.
Earlier reports: