Cauvery stir enters day 2,RAF deployed

Protests against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu continued for the second day on Monday with authorities deciding to deploy Rapid Action Force to maintain peace in Mandya,the epicentre of the stir,even as four JDS MLAs and an MP submitted resignations to the partys state unit chief to protest the action.

Authorities said that they have decided to deploy RAF to assist police in the wake of escalating protests. Lending their political might to the agitation, JDS Lok Sabha member from Mandya N Cheluvarayaswamy and four MLAs Kalpana Siddaraju,C S Puttaraju,M Srinivas and A B Ramesh Bandisidddegowda submitted their resignations to partys state unit president H D Kumaraswamy.

More than 100 people were arrested at Gejjalagere in Mandya district when they blocked the Shirdi Express,the police said. Protests continued in Mysore,Chamarajanagar and Mandya the Cauvery basin districts. Vehicular movement on the Bangalore-Mysore road was hit for the third day,the police said.

Speaking to reporters here,Kumaraswamy said a meeting of party MLAs and MPs has been convened on Tuesday to decide the future course of action,including whether all its legislators should quit en masse.