As many as 44 flights to and from the Kempegowda International Airport here were cancelled owing to the Karnataka bandh over the Cauvery water sharing issue with Tamil Nadu, airport authorities said on Friday.

The Karnataka bandh called by the 'Kannada Okkoota' to oppose release of water to Tamil Nadu received a good response in Bengaluru and other southern parts of the State on Friday, disrupting normal life.

Yogesh Master's book, "Nanna Arivina Pravadi” was launched during an event at the BIFT Auditorium in Bengaluru on Thursday. This event was organized by Shanti Prakashna Mangalore, in association with the "Seerat-ul-Nabi (PBUH) campaign on the theme 'Architect of Human Equality - Prophet Mohammed' under the auspices of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Karnataka.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar, has clarified the government's stance on protests related to the Cauvery water issue. While people will not be prevented from staging protests, the government will not permit a 'Karnataka bandh' called for by some pro-Kannada organizations on Friday.

In a surprising incident in Mandevala village of Jewargi taluk, a procession held to commemorate the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh on September 28 sparked outrage among the locals.

In an incident reported from N Devarahalli in Chitradurga district, a specially-abled couple faced social boycott and were slapped with a fine of Rs 30,000 by leaders of the Jogi community. The couple, Savithramma and Manikantha, both hailing from different castes and living with hearing and speech impairments, had entered into an inter-caste marriage three years ago.

In a recent incident in Tilak Nagar, Bengaluru, a burglar took advantage of a family's absence and broke into their home in SRK Garden on Tuesday night. The thief made off with 3.5 kilograms of gold and cash amounting to Rs 10 lakh while the entire family was away in Ramanagar.

Normal life is likely to be affected, especially in the southern part of the state, with pro-Kannada and farmers' organisations calling for Karnataka Bandh' on Friday to protest the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.