Overview

• On May 31, thousands of farmers joined BJP MLAs and religious seers in Gubbi taluk to burn tyres, block roads and stage sit-in protests against the water diversion plan.
• Tumakuru Rural MLA Suresh Gowda has given the government a one-month deadline to cancel the project and has warned of intensified demonstrations if work restarts.
• The district administration imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC and deployed extra security around the canal site to prevent further disruption.
• A government-appointed technical committee reviewed the plans and approved diverting Hemavathi River water to Bengaluru South, finding no environmental or water-sharing issues.
• Construction was briefly suspended during the protests but authorities plan to resume work on the ₹1,500-crore scheme now 40% complete.