Mandya: Mandya has become the epicentre of protests against the release of Cauvery water to TN as per the Supreme Court verdict. Life in the district came to a standstill on Tuesday with commercial establishments and educational institutions remaining closed.
Bus services on the Mysuru-Bengaluru section were thrown out of gear as KSRTC suspended buses going towards Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Kodagu. Private vehicles were stopped at various locations in the district following the agitation.
Vehicles were lined up for kilometers in both directions as people blocked the highway by setting tyres on fire and staging dharnas. Glass panes of two trucks were broken in stone pelting in Mandya city. However, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
With temper running high, protesters ransacked the Congress office and broke chairs. They also tore the flex boards with pictures of CM Siddaramaiah and PM Narendra Modi put up near Sanju Circle.
Activists belonging to a pro-Kannada organisation barged into the irrigation department office, broke flower pots and damaged the glass panes of the notice board. Police reached the spot and took some persons into custody.
Some youths pulled down the cutout of former minister and MLA M.H. Ambarish put up in the heart of the city while others targeted the portrait of former MP Ramya and the state counsel in the Supreme Court Fali Nariman.
Tension prevailed at KRS with hundreds of farmers laying siege to the dam. Police posted a large police force and para-military personnel at the dam site.
The cops thwarted efforts by farmers to enter the dam. Traders extended their full support by downing shutters while private bus operators, autorickshaw associations and others also suspended operations as a mark of support.
