Kannada activists ended their call for a statewide bandh after holding talks with Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday, coinciding with the start of the state Assembly session. Shivakumar confirmed to news agency ANI that the activists had withdrawn the protest following their meeting. He noted that the day marked his first Assembly session as Chief Minister and expressed thanks to the groups for their decision. The bandh had been announced by Kannada organisations over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute. Demonstrations occurred in Mandya district, but daily routines stayed mostly normal in Bengaluru and Mysuru. The Chief Minister highlighted the importance of protecting Karnataka farmers while following court directives on water allocation. The organisations clarified that their position was not against sharing water with Tamil Nadu but focused on securing the state’s own requirements through projects like Mekedatu and better storage infrastructure. Police increased security measures across the state, especially near the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, to avoid incidents. The Cauvery dispute involves the division of river water between the two states, with Karnataka seeking to retain enough for its needs during low rainfall periods and Tamil Nadu depending on supplies for its agricultural delta region.
