Karnataka BJP protests Cauvery water release as SC orders compliance

The Karnataka BJP and farmer organisations staged a major protest at the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam on Friday against the Congress government's handling of the Cauvery water dispute. Leaders B.S. Yediyurappa and B.Y. Vijayendra demanded that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar challenge the water release order in the Supreme Court. The state government deployed over 1,500 police personnel, with Mandya SP Shobharani saying security had been tightened and entry to Brindavan Gardens barred for the day.

The protest came after the Supreme Court on Monday directed Karnataka to comply with the Cauvery Water Management Authority's order to release water to Tamil Nadu. The bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta asked why the state was not releasing water and posted the matter for August 24. Tamil Nadu's counsel said Karnataka had 76% live storage but had hardly released water. Karnataka's counsel argued it was a severe distress year and the CWMA was aware of the situation.

The court's direction triggered fresh protests in Mandya, where a PSI was injured in a scuffle. The Kabini reservoir continued releasing 13,600 cusecs to Tamil Nadu despite an inflow of only 7,747 cusecs. KRS was releasing water only for drinking purposes, officials said. The BJP and farmer groups said the state faces a drinking water crisis and cannot spare water for irrigation.