Koppal: In a symbolic protest during the statewide bandh over the Cauvery river dispute, pro-Kannada activists in Koppal Thursday offered roses to drivers of Tamil Nadu-registered heavy vehicles, urging them not to “provoke” Karnataka.The demonstration briefly disrupted traffic on the highway before police intervened and took the lead organisers into custody. Although the bandh received a mixed response across the state, activists gathered at the Hitnal Toll Gate on the national highway in Koppal taluk and intercepted Tamil Nadu-bound lorries, avoiding confrontation and instead handing flowers to drivers.The protest was led by Kerave Yuva Sene leader Vijayakumar and members of various youth groups, including the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Youth Wing, Kalyana Karnataka Youth Wing and Suvarna Karnataka Yuva Sene.“We are peace-loving people. Do not provoke us,” Vijayakumar told the drivers, while protesters shouted slogans such as “Take the flowers, don’t ask for water.”The demonstration was part of the statewide bandh called by Karnataka Okkuta to oppose the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s (CWRC) directive ordering Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days.Demonstrators argued that Karnataka’s acute domestic and agricultural water needs must take priority before meeting downstream allocations.They also demanded the immediate implementation of the long-pending Mekedatu balancing reservoir project, contending it offers the only viable long-term solution to the inter-state water crisis.
