Kottayam: Bengaluru witnessed an unprecedented level of violence and lock-down over the Cauvery row that turned ugly Monday. As is always the case, the common citizens were the worst affected as miscreants wreaked havoc in the city.
The violent incidents sent people rushing home from educational institutions and offices across the city. Schools, colleges and business establishments were shut down and Bengaluru came to a standstill.
For the Kerala population in Bengaluru, the unrest broke out at a time of the year they all have been waiting for – Onam. The violent protests overthrew Onam plans for many Keralites who are in the IT city.
Onmanorama spoke to some of the Malayalis who faced the wrath of the protesters and they all had one thing to say – they have never seen Bengaluru like this.
Annie Kuriakose, a teacher at the prestigious Mount Carmel College, said, “We had a pretty bad situation yesterday; out of the blue, we started getting messages of violence in the city. There was no transportation available for the students to go back home. Ola and Uber had shut down their services. I dropped a few students home in my vehicle.”
Several roads were blocked and tyres were being burned everywhere. “Some of the teachers witnessed protests on their way back home, but luckily nobody was harmed,” said Annie.
Bengaluru police have also been warning the citizens against fake news making rounds in the social media and some of them were of extreme nature. “Yesterday, I got a message saying do not get out of the house as Supreme Court has ordered shoot at sight,” said Annie.
Rejoy Leen, a resident of Bengaluru for the past 11 years, said, “There have been similar protests before, but yesterday all hell broke loose. We don't know if the people on the streets were pro-Kannada activists or anti-social elements. There was no police on the road till night.”
Rejoy, who hails from Kollam, was one of the employees who was sent home early from his office after violence spread over the city.
He also said, several Keralites who were planning to go home for Onam had to drop their trips due to cancellation and rerouting of buses.
“Nobody is in the Onam spirit, not sure if the celebrations organized by different Malayali associations have been postponed,” added Rejoy, who works for a public relations firm.
Neetha Kumar, creative supervisor of an advertising agency, returned from Kerala to Bengaluru Monday as she didn't have leave and found herself trapped amid the chaos. Her office was closed by Monday noon and Neetha is now stuck at home without enough provisions to celebrate Onam, or let alone feed herself.
“Everyone is scared of getting out. Yesterday, when I was coming back from office, people gathered on the road with red and yellow shawls (Karnataka flag colors). They were checking the vehicle numbers and asking people where they were going. In front of my house, they set fire on the road to stop vehicles,” said Neetha who is from Kochi.
Lovis Simon, a native of Kottayam and presently a college student in Bengaluru, said, “We are stuck in our hostel as we are told not to go out. Also curfew has been imposed in several areas till Wednesday.”
Anand, a software engineer in Bengaluru, was traveling from Salem to Bengaluru with his family Monday when he heard the news. He said that at the border, police allowed entry only to Karnataka registration vehicles.
Anand's brother Venkataraman, who is also a techie in Bengaluru, says, “I got video messages of vehicles being burned in very familiar places. Our whole office is working from home today.”
It is also feared that vegetable supplies to the city will be hit soon as all shops are closed and most trucks come from Tamil Nadu.
Sadly, it may not be an Onam to remember for many Malayalis in Bengaluru this year.