Bandh hits life in DK, Chikkamagaluru

Dakshina Kannada, which saw communal tension and death of one person on Thursday night, was totally shut on Thursday in response to a bandh call given by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal on Friday. The call was to protest the murder of a youth in B.C. Road, near Mangaluru, and the death of VHP activist D.S. Kuttappa in Madikeri in Kodagu district during protests against government-sponsored Tipu Sultan birth anniversary celebrations. The Dakshina Kannada administration clamped three-day prohibitory orders from Thursday night, while police personnel went around Mangaluru and other parts of the district from Friday morning asking people to remain indoors. Barring stray incidents of lathi-charge, minor stabbing and pelting a few stones at a place of prayer, the bandh passed off peacefully. Prohibitory orders were in place in Madikeri too. However, the district saw schools and colleges functioning normally, said Madikeri Sub-divisional Assistant Commissioner Nanjunde Gowda. Banks, shops and other business establishments too functioned. Tight security will remain, with the police and district administration deciding to continue with prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Cr.PC till further orders. In Malnad region, Chikkamagaluru town saw shops closed, schools and colleges shut, and KSRTC buses and autorickshaws off the road till evening. However, the town of Madikeri, which too had seen communal tension, did not see an overwhelming response to the bandh call. Muted response Most towns and cities of Karnataka, including Hubballi and Mysuru, saw a muted response, though there was some disruption of traffic for sometime in the early hours of the day. Though shops and business establishments in the central business district remained closed and some private schools had declared a holiday in Mysuru, life was not disrupted. The landmark Kittur Chennamma Circle in Hubballi witnessed blockade for over two hours on Friday. -The Hindu