Overview
- The bandh called by Vatal Nagaraj was observed on Thursday, August 13, producing intense, localised protests and road blockades in Mandya while Bengaluru and most urban centres reported normal daily activity.
- The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee and the Cauvery Water Management Authority directed Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days at the Biligundlu gauging point, prompting the protest call.
- Police tightened security across the state, carried out preventive detentions including of leading activists, and imposed targeted local measures such as liquor sale bans in several Mandya taluks to prevent escalation.
- Most essential services — schools, banks, hospitals, pharmacies and public transport — remained operational because many organisations limited their involvement to moral support or withdrew active backing, and the state said it will decide further steps after the Supreme Court hearing scheduled for August 17.
- The dispute reflects long‑running tensions over Cauvery allocations governed by tribunal and court orders and raises immediate stakes for farmers who say reservoir shortfalls threaten drinking water and irrigation, with the standoff likely to shift from street protests to the courts and state political bargaining.