After Supreme Court ordered Karnataka to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, protests have broken out in Karnataka. The Karnataka government has pulled off 700 buses that run from Bengaluru and Mysuru to Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Tuesday. A shutdown has been called in Mandya in southern Karnataka where farmers protesting against the court order. Schools and colleges in the district have been closed, reports NDTV. Farmers and pro-Kannada outfit activists protested in various parts of Karnataka on Monday against the Supreme Court direction to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu while Chief Minister Siddaramaiah convened a meeting of legislature leaders and MPs in Bengaluru for Tuesday to discuss the issue. Siddaramaiah, whose government has been expressing its inability to release water to Tamil Nadu citing poor storage, would hold a meeting with floor leaders of all parties in the state legislature, MPs and district-in charge ministers tomorrow evening to take stock of the situation, an official release said tonight.

'Karnataka Okkuta', led by Vatal Nagaraj, called for a 'Karnataka bandh' on September 9. Workers of the pro-Kannada outfit held a protest here, bringing traffic to a halt in the heart of the city.

"There is no water in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya and Chamrajnagar, and that is the truth. We have called for Karnataka Bandh on September 9 to protest against the injustice meted out to farmers here," Nagaraj told reporters. Passing orders on a petition by Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court noted that damage would be caused to samba crops in the neighbouring state and directed Karnataka to release water.