'Bandh call by pro-Kannada outfits had little effect in K'taka'

Bengaluru: The bandh call given by some pro-Kannada organisations demanding implementation of an over three decades old report recommending job reservation for Kannadigas, had little effect on a normal life in Bengaluru and other parts of the state on Thursday.

Barring a stray incident of stone pelting at a bus in Dakshina Kannada district, the bandh was peaceful, police said.

Buses and auto-rickshaws plied, as usual, defying the bandh call given by the ‘Karnataka Sangathanegala Okkoota’, a consortium of organisations in Karnataka.

The organisers of the bandh are demanding implementation of the Sarojini Mahishi report, which recommended that preference be given to Kannadigas in government and the private sector.

In Bengaluru, city buses plied as usual though most of them ran empty as there were very few commuters.

Auto rickshaws and cabs ran regular services, though one of the auto-rickshaw drivers’ associations had supported the bandh.

R K Nagar and surrounding areas, the main trade area of the city, saw normal activity.

A few Kannada organisations took out a rally in the city and their leaders later submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa at his residence, demanding strict implementation of Sarojini Mahishi report.

Some of them forced traders to shut shops

In Anekal near Attibele in the city on the Karnataka- Tamil Nadu border, activists reportedly tried in vain to forcibly shut shops and business establishments.

At Pirangipet in Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada district, stones were pelted at a private bus in the morning.

Police said 200 people were detained as a preventive measure to avoid any law and order situation.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had appealed to the outfits to keep their agitation peaceful.

He had also said his government always stood for Kannada and Kannadigas and had initiated measures to implement the Sarojini Mahishi report.