The Supreme Court in its latest ruling on sharing of waters on Monday ordered that Karnataka release 12,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) per day to Tamil Nadu till September 20.
The Cauvery River dispute has long been a source of conflict between the states with both provinces arguing they need more water for their farmers to irrigate their fields.
Protestors in Karnataka took to the streets of the state capital Bangalore and other major cities, setting fire to vehicles and shops, TV news footage showed. In some areas, mobs threw stones at police, who responded with baton charges to disperse protestors.
Most schools and colleges as well as business offices closed early in Bangalore and metro services were stopped as well, broadcaster NDTV reported.
Violence was also reported in Tamil Nadu, where groups in the state capital Chennai attacked a hotel and bank owned by Karnataka residents.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said the government was deploying forces to stop retaliatory attacks in ‘sensitive areas’ containing Tamil populations and Tamil owned-establishments.
The Cauvery river originates in Karnataka and flows through Tamil Nadu into the Bay of Bengal. The two states' water-sharing dispute is more than a century old.
