Protester’s death inflames tension
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The bandh called in support of Cauvery agitation received an overwhelming response in Cauvery basin districts of Mandya, Mysore, Kodagu and Chamarajanagar. All essential services, including medical shops, were shut on Saturday. The agitation took a tragic turn when an agitator died of cardiac arrest during a rally in Mysore, while a few others attempted suicide in different parts. Gauranna (45), an employee of Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Ltd (BRBNMPL) in Mysore, was participating in a motorbike rally when he collapsed and died on the spot. The police said Gauranna, from Chitradurga, was working in the numbering section of printing department in the RBI unit.
In Hunsur taluk of Mysore district, farmer Nagarajegowda cut his wrist during the protest and was shifted to hospital. In Mandya, another farmer from Pandavapura taluk, Vishwanath, tried to immolate self in full public glare by pouring kerosene over himself, causing some anxious moments. In Chamarajanagar, a protestor climbed a BSNL tower and threatened to jump if the state did not stop releasing water to Tamil Nadu. Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists in Mysore attacked a Wipro office and damaged computers and other property for not shutting down business on the bandh day.
The bandh, otherwise, was total, peaceful and voluntary. The epicenter of the agitation – Mandya – saw a record number of protestors on Saturday. Apart from bus services, train services too were also completely hit between Mysore and Bengaluru, causing inconvenience to commuters. Passenger and Chamundi Express trains which departed from Mysore towards Bengaluru returned after they were blocked near Mandya. There was no train services from 8am till 10pm as most of the trains did not come from Bengaluru at all.
IGP Dr K. Ramachandra Rao said 50 people were arrested at Kabini dam when they tried to enter the dam, while 21 people were arrested in Hassan and released later.
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