Security personnel were deployed on Wednesday at the Mandya Railway Station after the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), a Kannada organisation, announced that it will hold a 'Rail Roko' protest there. Forces have also been deployed at railway stations in Bengaluru city, Yeshwanthapur, Cantonment, Mysuru, Mandya, Tumakuru, Hubballi and Raichur.
The protest comes after Karnataka's capital city, Bengaluru, witnessed two days of violence in which mobs burnt buses and other vehicles soon after the Supreme Court order on the release of Cauvery water.
The Supreme Court on Monday directed Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs of water from the Cauvery river everyday to Tamil Nadu. Within minutes of the order, violent protests broke out in several areas of Karnataka and Bengaluru leaving two dead.
The 'Rail Roko' demonstration has been organised under the leadership of activist-politician, Vatal Nagaraj, who has said that the rail bandh has been called to draw the Centre's attention to the Cauvery agitation in Karnataka.
"Extra forces have been deployed at railway stations in Bengaluru city, Yeshwanthapur, Cantonment, Mysuru, Mandya, Tumakuru, Hubballi and Raichur. Policemen will be present at stations across the state. There will be no bandh for trains," an officer of Karnataka Railway police said.
Vatal Kannada Paksha, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, Jai Karnataka and Dr. Rajkumar Fans Association are among the 800 Kannada organisations which will take part in the demonstration on Thursday.
"Right now there are three, four agencies that are involved in security, which includes the local police, the GRPs, RPF. Apart from that we have the paramilitary forces. Everybody is doing their duty and we are here to personally supervise the situation. We have made an assessment about the problems that may crop up. Arrangements have been made to maintain peace," Mandya Superintendent of Police Sudhir Kumar Reddy told ANI.
The situation in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu was peaceful on the second day as there were no reports of violence reported in any part of the two states. Curfew imposed in certain areas of Bengaluru has been withdrawn. However, interstate transportation through the Karnataka border has not seen any activity.
