Bengaluru, 13 August (H.S.): The Karnataka bandh called by Kannada organisations over the Cauvery water dispute evoked a lukewarm response on Thursday, with normal life remaining largely unaffected in Bengaluru, Mysuru and several other parts of the State.

The shutdown, scheduled from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., failed to disrupt public transport or commercial activity in Bengaluru. BMTC and KSRTC buses operated normally, while private buses, autorickshaws and cabs remained available. Auto and cab unions offered only moral support and did not suspend services.

Shops, hotels, restaurants, banks and other commercial establishments remained open. Schools and offices functioned as usual, while hospitals, pharmacies and grocery stores continued operations without interruption. Flights at Kempegowda International Airport were also unaffected.

Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj, who called the bandh, was detained at his residence before he could lead a proposed rally from Town Hall to Majestic. Police said Nagaraj refused to speak to officers and placed tape over his mouth as a mark of silent protest.

The bandh was organised against the directive to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu when parts of Karnataka are facing drought-like conditions following inadequate rainfall.

The response was similarly muted in Mysuru, where shops, hotels, schools and colleges remained open, and buses and autorickshaws operated normally. Commercial centres, including D. Devaraja Urs Road and Sayyaji Rao Road, witnessed business as usual.

Police were deployed in large numbers in the central business district as a precaution. Several pro-Kannada activists and Cauvery Action Committee members were taken into preventive custody after attempting to block buses at the Sub-Urban Bus Stand.

Elsewhere in Mysuru, farmers led by the State Sugarcane Growers’ Association marched carrying empty pots. Karnataka Kavalu Pade and other Kannada groups staged a symbolic demonstration at Sri Jayachamarajendra Circle against releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu under any circumstances.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman