Karnataka braces for bandh on Mar 22 security tightened statewide
Bengaluru, Mar 21 (PTI): Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place across Karnataka as pro-Kannada groups have called for a 12-hour statewide shutdown on March 22 to protest the alleged assault on a state-run bus conductor in Belagavi last month for not knowing Marathi.
According to officials, police in various districts have deployed home guards along with the City Armed Reserve unit as a precautionary measure to ensure that the bandh is observed peacefully without causing inconvenience to the public.
Senior officers will also be on the ground to oversee security arrangements and prevent any untoward incidents.
Speaking to reporters, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar urged people to maintain peace and abide by the law.
"We will protect the interests of the state. Everyone should maintain peace and follow the law. However, I feel there is no need for a bandh," he said.
According to Bengaluru Deputy Commissioner Jagadeesha G, no holiday has been declared for schools and colleges in the city on Saturday despite the bandh called by pro-Kannada outfits.
However, with transport services likely to be disrupted, the bandh is expected to impact lakhs of SSLC (class 10) students appearing for their exams tomorrow.
State-run transport corporations, KSRTC and BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation), will remain operational.
However, a final decision will be taken tomorrow based on the situation on the ground, a senior transport department official said.
Sources indicate that some auto-rickshaw, cab, and private driver unions have extended their support to the bandh, while hotel associations, malls, bars, and restaurants have only offered "moral support".
Meanwhile, essential services—including pharmacies, hospitals, ambulances, petrol pumps, and metro services—will remain operational despite the bandh.
According to Kannada Okkuta leader and activist Vatal Nagaraj, the statewide bandh is expected to receive widespread support, though there are uncertainties regarding the participation of some organisations.
On February 28, Kannada Okkuta, an umbrella organisation representing various pro-Kannada groups, announced the statewide bandh from 6 am to 6 pm on March 22.
Notably, prominent pro-Kannada groups—including the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike factions led by T A Narayana Gowda and Praveen Shetty—have refrained from participating in the bandh.
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Strikes on 3 more alleged drug boats kill 11 people, US military says
Washington (AP): The US military said Tuesday that it carried out strikes on three boats accused of smuggling drugs in Latin American waters, killing 11 people in one of the deadliest days of the Trump administration's monthslong campaign.
The series of strikes conducted Monday brought the death toll to at least 145 people since the administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in small vessels since early September.
Like most of the military's statements on the 42 known strikes, US Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. It said two vessels carrying four people each were struck in the eastern Pacific Ocean, while a third boat with three people was hit in the Caribbean Sea.
The military did not provide evidence that the vessels were ferrying drugs but posted videos that showed boats being destroyed.
President Donald Trump has said the US is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”
