BENGALURU: The bandh organized by various Kannada organizations to protest the Cauvery River water dispute was successful. Life came to a standstill in Bengaluru city and the southern districts of Karnataka. Schools, colleges, offices and hotels remained closed. Only a few city buses operated while metro and train services continued as usual.

Forty-four flights scheduled to operate from Bengaluru airport today were cancelled. Flights to Mumbai, Kolkata and Mangalore were among those cancelled due to a mass ticket cancellation by passengers. In various parts of Bengaluru city and the Kaveri River districts including Mandya, Hassan and Ramanagara, protesters burnt an effigy of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and tore it down in protest. There were no bus services from Bengaluru to Tamil Nadu today and protesters alleged that the state government was not giving enough attention to the issue.

This is pure fun 😂😂😂

I.N.D.I alliance partners 😂😂😂

Sorry state of both Kar & TN because of electing the 🤡🤡.#Tamilnadu #Karnataka#KarnatakaBandh #MKStalin #Siddharamiah #CauveryWaterpic.twitter.com/VGU2sTuCfu

— Esha Srivastav🇮🇳🚩 (@EshaSanju15) September 26, 2023

The Cauvery Water Management Authority had ordered Tamil Nadu to release an additional 5000 cusecs of water for 15 days. The cabinet decided to comply with this order when the Supreme Court clarified that it could not interfere in this matter. Many farmers and pro-Kannada organizations protested against this decision. As a precautionary measure, the police have increased security in Bengaluru's Tamil-majority areas.