Police deployed heavy police troops in front of Town Hall in Bengaluru on Thursday as Kannada activists were preparing for a rally against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
The security around the place was tight ahead of the scheduled protest, and police were putting up heavy security at the site, and so were most of the police personnel, to stop any untoward violence and maintain public order. The move comes as tension in Karnataka over the Cauvery water-sharing issue has been mounting with protests and political mobilisation in the state.
Kannada activists have rejected the release of water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu, saying Karnataka should first ensure that water is enough for Bengaluru and farmers in the state. It has long been politically fraught, at a time when the state has received little rainfall, and reservoirs have been depleted.
The demonstration is also to take place in Town Hall on the back of the ongoing debate on the state’s obligations under the Cauvery water-sharing agreements that continue to run over public opinion. Any decision to release water to Tamil Nadu would trigger strong reactions from farmers’ groups, Kannada organisations and political parties in Karnataka.
There is therefore a preventive security mechanism in place around the protest site. Police have been placed at strategic positions to control the movement of the protesters and commuters and ensure that traffic and public activities in the city centre are not affected.
Town Hall has frequently been a site of public demonstrations on major political and social issues. And since the Cauvery dispute is very sensitive, officials will be closely following developments and taking any action to avoid friction or the possibility of a conflict.
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been in a dispute over water sharing of the Cauvery River for over a century. Release of water should be done in line with the available water in the reservoirs of Karnataka and the required water by its farmers and residents, while Tamil Nadu is trying to get its share from the river water-sharing agreement.
The latest protest call also highlights the anger in Karnataka over water releases to Tamil Nadu as well. For authorities, the immediate focus is to keep the peace and allow protesters to express their feelings within the parameters of the law.
With a police presence now visible near Town Hall, the situation is being closely watched as Kannada organisations are going to hold their demonstration.
