Violent protests that erupted in the southwestern Indian state of
Karnataka over water sharing have left at least one person dead and five injured.
The demonstrations also saw buses set on fire,
public vandalism and mob attacks on Tamils, prompting a government curfew and
shoot-on-sight police orders.
The restrictive orders were imposed on the
state capital of Bangalore in a bid to thwart thousands of enraged residents
who took to the streets to protest against the water-sharing order issued last
week by the Indian Supreme Court to assist stricken Tamil Nadu farmers.
Police opened fire on protesters in the
northwestern part of the city near the Rajagopal Nagar Police Station, killing
one man and injuring five others.
The violence erupted after the court ordered
Karnataka state, where Banglore is based, to release 4.25 million litres of
water per second every day from the Cauvery river to neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
The river has been the source of more than a
century of tension between the states, and the anger has previously turned
violent - in 1991 an interim court order telling Karnataka to release water to
Tamil Nadu sparked riots against Tamils in Bangalore, leaving more than 18
people dead.
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