The police have detained over a hundred protesters from Kannada organisations who started gathering at Town Hall by Saturday morning around 10 a.m. to protest the formation of the Maratha Development Corporation.
The police have also detained Narayana Gowda, president of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, and other members of the organisation. They were detained at Maurya Circle while he along with protesters heading towards Chief Minister's residence.
Vatal Nagaraj, president of the Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha, was also detained at Town Hall as he came to lead the protest. He accused Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa of being anti-Kannada for quelling the protest. He claimed the police have detained 30,000 protesters across the State to foil the protest.
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Kannada Organisations had planned to march to the Chief Minister’s residence, but have so far been unsuccessful due to heavy police deployment at Shivananda circle and in and around the CM’s residence.
While a main rally will be held at Freedom Park, smaller dharnas are being staged across the city.
As of Wednesday morning, BMTC buses and autos were functioning as usual, though a section of taxi drivers on aggregator apps are supporting the bandh. “I tried to book a taxi from Vijay Nagar on Uber and Ola with little success. One driver called me back but asked me not to book on Uber and instead pay him Rs. 300 in cash. I finally took a regular auto which I got easily,” said a resident of Banashankari.
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Two incidents of miscreants pelting buses with stones were reported in KR Puram and Chandapura. Many shops at Gandhinagar and Chickpet area remained shut to support the bandh. However, normal life remained unaffected in other parts of the city.
Lukewarm response
The Karnataka Bandh call given by Kannada organisations received lukewarm response in majority of the districts in the districts of Bombay Karnataka region and normal life went on as usual amid protests by pro Kannada organisations.
At several places in the region including Dharwad and Gadag, the Police made preventive arrests when members of pro Kannada organisations tried to block roads.
In Hubballi- Dharwad, the situation remained normal with public transport remaining unaffected and shops and commercial establishments functioning as usual.
The agitation by Pro Kannada organisations was restricted to demonstrations in most places and in some other places protestors were gathering at important junctions to stage protests.
In Dharwad, protestors were taken into custody at Jubilee Circle after they tried to block road.
In Gadag, protestors were prevented from closing down shops forcefully. At Mulagund Naka in Gadag, protestors were stopped and taken into custody when they tried to stop buses. Meanwhile despite police efforts to prevent them, the protestors managed to burn effigy of former union minister Basanagouda Patil Yatnal for his derogatory statement against Kannada organisations.
Poor response in Yadgir and Raichur
There is no response to the bandh called by pro Kannada organisations against forming Maratha Development Authority in Yadgir and Raichur.
The shops and commercial complex are open and they are running business as usual. As per the reports by 10 am, buses belonging to NEKRTC are plying normally in the both districts, officials confirmed.
The private vehicles are plying normally. Few shops in Raichur were valuentertly closed in support of bandh.
Both SP's from Yadgir and Raichur, Rishikesh Sonawane and Prakash Nikam told The Hindu that there is no impact to normal life.
There is no reports of forceful closure of any shops and trades. If found, we will book the case, Mr Sonawane said adding that organisations may submit memorandum.
Little impact in Mysuru
The bandh called by pro-Kannada organisations against the constitution of Maratha Development Corporation by the Chief Minister B.S.Yediyurappa, evoked little response in Mysuru.
Business establishments were open as usual both in the city and residential areas and public transport system was not affected. The Federation of Mysore Traders Association comprising 13 organisations had refused to back the bandh on the grounds that they were recovering from the pandemic-induced lockdown which began on March 25th and it was only now that there was a semblance of business turnover.
The federation members including the hotel owners association and Mysuru Travel Association said they were in solidarity with the pro-Kannada activists and the cause but argued that a bandh at this juncture when the economy was in tatters due to lockdown, could not be supported.
The loss to the State exchequer due to the bandh would be manifold the amount sanctioned for the Maratha Development Corporation argued the federation members.