The Cauvery imbroglio continued to see protests in the State capital on Monday too.
Members of the Kannada Okkuta, led by Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha president Vatal Nagaraj, Akhila Karnataka Dr. Rajkumar Abhimanigala Sangha president Sa.Ra. Govindu, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike leader Praveen Shetty, Dalit Sangharsh Samiti leader N. Murthy and Kannada Sene leader K.R. Kumar, staged a protest in front of “Krishna”, the Chief Minister’s residence, on Kumara Krupa Road in Bangalore in the morning.
The protesters had come with mattresses and blankets to lay siege to Mr. Shettar’s residence but were hauled away by the police within minutes.
They were detained on the premises of the City Armed Reserve (CAR) South till 3 p.m.
The entire stretch of Kumara Krupa Road remained barricaded, forcing commuters to take alternative routes.
IT office attacked
Despite police presence, members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike’s Narayana Gowda faction barged into the Income Tax Office on Queen’s Road and damaged property.
About 20 activists scaled the compound walls of the building and gained entry to the premises, pulling down name boards and breaking a glass table near the Customs and Excise Department corridor on the ground floor, the police said.
Slogan-shouting activists were prevented from proceeding upstairs and were taken into preventive custody.
“They were taken to the Commercial Street police station and later released,” a police official said.
Protection provided
Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) T. Suneel Kumar said that all Central government offices in the city had been provided with security in the wake of the protests. The protesters also tried to lay siege to the Income Tax office in Malleswaram, BSNL office in Yelahanka, and Old Accountant General Office in Central division police limits, he added. “If there was any security lapse on the part of the police, we will look into the matter,” said a senior police official about the incident.
Other protests
Protests were reported from Town Hall, Corporation Circle, Mysore Road and Magadi Road.
Members of the Jai Karnataka and the Rashtriya Kisan Sanghatan demonstrated before the Town Hall. Other activists marched from Sirsi Circle to Gopalan Mall on Mysore Road, disrupting traffic.
While members of the Chamundeshwari Kannada Yuvakara Vrundha led by N.L. Narendra Babu staged a protest in Mahalakshmi Layout, the Akhila Karnataka Om Shakthi marched from Magadi Road to Freedom Park. Members of the Janata Dal (S) protested against the Central government at Moodalapalya.
