Protests against the Cauvery Tribunal's final award on water-sharing with Tamil Nadu continued for the fourth day in Mandya and Mysore districts of Karnataka with road blockades and taking out of processions but there was no violence.
In Mandya, the heartland of Cauvery, protesters took out a march with 28 sheep, depicting them as members of parliament, decrying their silence. While students forced closure of government offices, their counterparts in Mysore boycotted classes and formed human chain disrupting traffic.
Union Minister of State for Information Ambareesh, who represents Mandya in Lok Sabha, said the state should put pressure on the Centre not to notify the award and added that he was ready to take a delegation of parliamentarians to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
He said a review petition should be filed before the tribunal and all parties should be united on the Cauvery issue.
Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists tool out a demonstration in the city and several of them were arrested when they tried to storm Rajbhavan, police said on Thursday.
In Mysore, Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha wing members sent empty plastic pots by post to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his Tamil Nadu counterpart M Karunanidhi to express their anguish over the award.
Members of Ryota Sangha burnt the effigy of Jnanpeeth awardee writer Girish Karnad condemning his statement that Karnataka should accept the tribunal award. 'Kannada Ranadheerara Pade' had announced plans to stage an indefinite dharna before the residence of Karnad from February 10 to protest the writer's stand on Cauvery.
