Cauvery crisis: Karnataka farmers try to break police cordon at dam, 150 held

MYSURU: Within hours of the Karnataka government releasing water to Tamil Nadu in compliance with the Supreme Court directive, farmers tried to storm the Kabini dam to stop the release of the river's water on Wednesday.

Threatening to stop supply of drinking water to Bengaluru alleging that politicians failed them, farmers reached H D Kote handpost at 11.30 AM and moved towards Beechanahalli, where the dam is located.

The reservoir, one of the four major dams in the Cauvery basin, was guarded by a contingent of cops anticipating trouble after 4,000 cusecs water was released.

Though senior officers told them to leave the area citing prohibitory orders clamped at the dam, farmers didn't relent and tried to break the police cordon. Police took 150 of them in custody and moved them to the Sargur police station. They were later released at 4.30 PM.

The Federation of State Farmers Associations and the Karnataka State Sugar cane Farmers Association president Kurbur Shantakumar told TOI they'll continue their protest. "The state government has cheated the farming community by releasing water. The dam will be left with merely 4 tmcft usable water if 4,000 cusecs is released for 10 days," he said.

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