State shuts down in intensified protests against SC order on sharing Cauvery water with Tamil Nadu; protesters burn effigies of CM Siddaramaiah, his Tamil Nadu counterpart Jayalalithaa
Pro-Kannada activists burn tyres to block the road during the Karnataka Bandh in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Karnataka shut down on Friday to protest against the release of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu, with hundreds of IT firms and multinationals crippled in India's technology hub Bengaluru.
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Global software firms and many start-ups declared holiday for thousands of techies in support of the shutdown, which crippled life across the state. Buses, cabs and autos stayed off roads while hotels, pubs, shops and banks remained closed.
Though the protest did not affect trains and flights, hundreds of passengers who alighted at the international airport were left stranded
About 500 Indian and overseas IT firms have closed for the day due to the absence of public and private transport, an official of the Electronics City Industrial Township Authority said. The Karnataka government declared a holiday for all schools and colleges.
Hundreds of people staged demonstrations and took out rallies in Bengaluru, Mandya, Mysuru and other cities and towns.
Activists burn posters of Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa and Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. Pics/PTI
About 5,000 people, including Kannada film stars, producers and directors, marched in a procession from Town Hall to Freedom Park in Bengaluru and urged the government to stop releasing water to Tamil Nadu.
Though the shutdown was peaceful, protesters burnt tyres in the centre of roads and highways to prevent movement of even private vehicles. Posters and placards carrying pictures of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Tamil Nadu counterpart Jayalalithaa were garlanded and slapped with footwear and carried on donkeys to express anger.
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