Bengaluru, July 31, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Veteran Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj on Friday announced a statewide Karnataka bandh on August 13 to protest the direction to release Cauvery river water from Karnataka’s reservoirs to Tamil Nadu.
The shutdown has been scheduled from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with pro-Kannada organisations urging people across the state to support the protest. Addressing a joint meeting of Kannada organisations and prominent leaders in Bengaluru, Vatal Nagaraj said the bandh would be observed across Karnataka, from Belagavi to Karwar and from Mangaluru to Kolar.
He said the protest was aimed at safeguarding the interests of Karnataka’s farmers and protecting the state’s drinking water needs. According to him, releasing water to Tamil Nadu at this stage could lead to a drinking water shortage in Bengaluru and several other parts of the state.
Vatal Nagaraj claimed that farmer organisations, student groups, labour unions, women’s organisations and government employees’ associations had extended support to the bandh. He also said the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce had backed the protest, with its president and senior actor Jayamala expressing support.
He added that hotel associations, truck and auto owners’ bodies, transport organisations and corporation employees were also expected to participate. Malls, theatres and app-based cab services are likely to remain closed, while efforts are underway to secure the support of employees of state-run transport corporations.
Criticising the all-party meeting convened by the Karnataka government on August 2, Vatal Nagaraj alleged that farmers and Kannada activists had not been invited and claimed the meeting would yield little outcome. He also announced plans to lay siege to the airport during the protest, while clarifying that emergency services would not be disrupted.
The bandh call comes amid renewed tensions over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute. The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) had directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days beginning July 29. Karnataka challenged the directive before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), citing drought conditions and concerns over drinking water availability.
However, the CWMA, at its meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, upheld the CWRC’s order, prompting fresh protests from political parties, farmer organisations and pro-Kannada groups across the state.
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