Violence eases as curfew imposed in parts of Bangalore

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Violence eases as curfew imposed in parts of Bangalore
Police personel walk past a burning truck from neighbouring state Tamil Nadu after it was set alight by agitated pro-Karnataka activists as the Cauvery water dispute erupted following the Supreme Court's order to release water to Tamil Nadu, in Bangalore on September 12, 2016.

New Delhi - Authorities then imposed the curfew in the troubled parts of Bangalore, bringing the situation under control, he said.

By AP, IANS

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Published: Tue 13 Sep 2016, 7:56 AM

Last updated: Tue 13 Sep 2016, 4:36 PM

One person was killed and two others injured in police firing on Monday night in tense Bengaluru, where curfew has been imposed in 16 sensitive localities after violent protests erupted in southern Karnataka over the Supreme Court's latest order to release more Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu.

"The victim (Umesh) succumbed to bullet injuries he suffered when police fired to disperse a mob attempting to torch a patrolling vehicle after ransacking a provision shop in the city's northern suburb," said a police official early on Tuesday.
Though police initially resorted to caning and lobbing tear gas shells to prevent the enraged mob of about 50 people from becoming violent, 12 rounds were fired by a platoon of the Karnataka State Reserved Police to disperse it from the troubled spot.
According to preliminary inquiry, Umesh, 25, working at a petrol retail outlet, was unfortunately present at the spot where the mob gathered.
Umesh hailed from Kunigal in Tumakuru district, about 70km from Bengaluru.
The other two injured, whose names police did not disclose, were rushed to a district hospital at Tumakuru for treatment and recovery from bullet wounds on the leg.
On Monday, police fired at a group pf protesters who set on fire a police jeep and motorbike killing one protester and wounding another in Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka state, said police officer Madhukar Narote.
Authorities then imposed the curfew in the troubled parts of Bangalore, bringing the situation under control, he said.
The curfew came after rampaging mobs set fire to dozens of buses, trucks and cars and attacked shops and businesses in Bangalore and some other parts of the state, police said.
Television images showed dozens of buses, with license plates from neighbouring Tamil Nadu state, burning in a private transport company depot in Bangalore. The company's managing director, Rajesh Natarajan, said nearly 40 buses were burned or damaged, PTI reported.
The Cauvery River, which originates in Karnataka and flows into Tamil Nadu, has been the source of a bitter water dispute for decades. Karnataka officials told the court that the state did not have enough water reserves to share.
Earlier Monday, protesters in Tamil Nadu vandalised a hotel in the city of Chennai owned by people from Karnataka, triggering violent protests in both states.
Last week, the Supreme Court ordered Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) for 10 days to Tamil Nadu, a move that led to protests by Karnataka farmers, who say they have no water for their fields.
The Karnataka government then appealed the ruling to the top court, which reduced the daily supply to Tamil Nadu.
Police in Bangalore passed prohibitory orders preventing the gathering of more than five people after angry mobs smashed the windows of several buses from Tamil Nadu and attacked bus drivers.
Many schools in Bangalore were closed Monday. Offices and shops were closed as groups of young men wandered the streets attacking property owned by people from Tamil Nadu.
In the city of Mandya, 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Bangalore, protesters set fire to trucks and buses bearing Tamil Nadu license plates.
Karnataka authorities have stopped bus services to Tamil Nadu for an unspecified period of time to prevent passengers from being attacked.
Farmers in India are largely dependent on monsoon rains and rivers to irrigate their crops. But with successive poor monsoons, rivers and reservoirs have been running dry and farmers in many places have been forced to cut the number of crops they grow.


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