City peaceful despite rumours doing rounds

City peaceful despite rumours doing rounds

The Hindu

Schools declare holiday as a precautionary measure in the wake of the Cauvery tribunal verdict

# Bangalore gets 18,000-strong police cover
# Employees of most offices leave early fearing violence


BANGALORE: Life was affected in most parts of Bangalore on Monday following rumours of violence in the wake of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal announcing its final verdict.

However, much to the relief of a tense public that was shaken by last month's riots, the city, which had an 18,000-strong police cover, remained peaceful. A couple of buses were stoned at Thambuchettypalya on Old Madras Road and on Magadi Road.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Bipin Gopalakrishna toldThe Hindu that no major incidents were reported nor prohibitory orders clamped in any part of the city.

Even before the verdict was out, rumours of arson and stoning came thick and fast, forcing many schools to declare a holiday towards noon. As soon as the television channels started airing the details of the tribunal award, employees of several offices, information technology companies and corporate houses headed for home, fearing violence.

Most commercial establishments downed shutters and towards afternoon, several roads were deserted, though the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses plied as usual. Most of the autorickshaws were off the road.

Cinemas stopped screening Tamil movies and cable TV operators took Tamil channels off the air in some parts of the city. In a bid to keep off vandals, several buildings with glass facades sported the red and yellow "Kannada flags" besides hastily procured pictures and printouts of Kannada poets and the late thespian Rajkumar.

There was palpable tension in Rajajinagar, Magadi Road, Kamakshipalya, Vijayanagar, Mahalakshmi Layout, Peenya and Yeshwanthpur, which witnessed large scale violence during a State-sponsored bandh in 1991 in protest against the tribunal's interim award.

Shops and business establishments in these areas, which have considerable population of Tamils, were closed since morning and a bandh-like atmosphere prevailed.

The police had deployed additional forces, including Rapid Action Force (RAF), in these areas. They also staged a flag march in Malleswaram, Rajajinagar, Srirampuram and neighbouring localities.

The police allayed the fears of an edgy public by sending SMS to mobile phone users stating that the situation was "absolutely peaceful" and to ignore the rumours.

The Tamil Nadu platform at the city bus station wore a deserted look as the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation cancelled its services to that State. Likewise, the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation did not operate its Karnataka services. Security was stepped up on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border near Attibele.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists staged a demonstration at the City Railway Station in protest against the tribunal award. The police stopped them at the entrance and prevented them from stopping trains. In the wake of the demonstration there was some tension as passengers were inconvenienced. The protesters were arrested.