Cauvery issue: Pro-Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj to participate in 'Rail-roko' protest on Sept. 15

Mandya (Karnataka) [India], Sept. 10 (ANI): One of the spearheads of Kannada activism, Vatal Nagaraj on Saturday said that he will participate in 'Rail-roko' protest-which would be carried against the Supreme Court's directive of releasing the Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu-on September 15 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Karnataka. Meanwhile, the pro-Kannada women and farmers' wing formed a human chain in protest in Karnataka's Mandya region over the Cauvery water issue. Protesting farmers entered into the flowing waters up to the waist-level in Srirangapatna near Mandya during which some of them fell ill. It is also reported that three farmers attempted to commit suicide by jumping into Cauvery river in Mandya. However, they were later rescued. Vehicular movement between various parts of the state crippled as well as the highway was blocked at several places in Mandya district, the epicentre of the stir. Activists of pro-Kannada group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, have been resorting to rail-roko in Belagavi and Bengaluru. Earlier, the Karnataka Government had decided to abide by the apex Court directive to release 15,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for 10 days. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah then told reporters, "As we cannot defy a constitutional body like the Supreme Court, with a heavy heart we have decided to release the water as directed by the apex court." Siddaramaiah on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to call a meeting of chief ministers of states concerned to resolve the Cauvery water dispute following the Supreme Court's direction to release water from the river to Tamil Nadu. The apex court on Monday, directed the Karnataka government to release 15,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu for the next 10 days to ameliorate the plight of farmers. (ANI)