The Statewide bandh called on Thursday by various organisations to pressurise the Centre to resolve the Mahadayi row between Karnataka and Goa, elicited a good response in Bengaluru with BMTC and KSRTC buses staying off the road and many shops shut.
Besides minor incidents of stone-pelting, the bandh was by and large peaceful. Over 15,000 police personnel, along with 50 platoons of KSRP and CAR police, were posted for security in and around the city. Earlier in the day, protesters attempted to stop rail services at the busy KSR Railway station by descending onto the tracks. However, they were detained within a few minutes. Rail services resumed after a minor delay. Metro services were unaffected and commuters relied on taxis and autos.
The CBD and tech parks in south east Bengluru were deserted. Many IT companies, including Infosys and Wipro remained closed. , with others asking employees to work from home. Early Thursday morning, members of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike took out a procession in front of Manyata Tech Park.The bandh received a good response in the Malaprabha command areas of northern Karnataka. Nargund in Gadag district, the epicentre of the Mahadayi agitation, remained shut. Here, protests were held against Union Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda for his reported comments in Mysuru against participating in the Mahadayi agitation.
It received lukewarm response in the districts in the coastal belt and Malnad region, apart from Bagalkot, Belagavi, Koppal, Ballari, Kalaburagi, Raichur, and Yadgir.
