Chennai: On a day of dramatic developments, the tale of two states turned violent on either side of the border with passions rising high after Supreme Court directed Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs of Cauvery waters but extended the period till September 20, sparking off fresh round of violence in Karnataka.

Retaliatory violence in Tamil Nadu saw petrol bomb hurled at a hotel New Woodlands in Mylapore by Tamil activists as the hotel is owned by a person hailing from Karnataka. In Rameshwaram vehicles with Karnataka registration were targeted by activists, who were responding to the beating up of a Tamil youth in Karnataka two days ago.

Interestingly, the two chief ministers of the two states – S Siddharamaiah and J Jayalalithaa exchanged letters to each other to protect people hailing from their own states and the two police chiefs also exchanged notes on the developments. They requested each other to protect the lives and properties of people hailing from their respective states.

But on the streets in Bengaluru, Mysore and Mandya, passions ran high as protestors torched vehicles from Tamil Nadu and targeted Tamil speaking people. Which is why, Karantaka government imposed section 144 in Bengaluru and other violence prone areas with a view to stem the passions from going out of control.

But despite Supreme Court observations and directions to Karnataka on maintaining law and order, protesters took to violence, breaking window panes of vehicles and setting them afire. Hundreds of slogan shouting activists marched through the city of Bengaluru, Mysore and Mandya even as shopkeepers shut their shops, to express sympathy with protestors as also to save their properties from damage.

On both sides of the divide, passions were rising as Karnataka farmers and people felt cheated and aggrieved over Supreme Court order directing them to release more water, in total disregard of their plea to reconsider its earlier decision in view of severe shortage of water due to monsoon failure in Karnataka.

If the Karnataka protesters took to violence, the situation in Tamil Nadu was no different with violence beginning to show its ugly face here and there. Farmers organisations that have said that the water released was too little and too late to save Samba crops have called for a major protest on September 20.

The SC order of 12,000 cu sec of water to TN has not gone down well with the TN farmers.The farmers continued to hold their earlier stand that the amount of water ordered to be released is very less and that this will not be of any help for Samba crop nor for Kuruvai crop.SC order to give 12,000 cusec of water to TN till 20 th is insufficient though TN might be getting extra 36,000 cusec i.e. 3tmc of water for those 4 days the farmers associations and state cauvery tribunal leader Mr.Ayya kannan said.

According to him they need water for at least 100 days at the rate of 15tmc/day,only then cultivation of Samba crop can be done.We are losing RS 25,000 per acre and we cannot do any other cultivation on this land. He said our PM should interfere in the matter and as promised by him during elections he should do interlinking of rivers, only then TN farmers will be saved or else we have no other choice than committing suicides.

Farmer association leader Mr.Sethuraman also expressed the same fear. He said the water which was to have been released in the months of June,July and August was not released at all.

Mr.Dhanapal cauvery farmers association leader said they needed at least 50 tmc of water.The SC order of 12,000 of water is not going to solve the problem but its going to increase discord among the two states.SC should find a permanent solution to this problem.

While Siddharamaiah has called for a special meeting to review the developments in Bengaluru, Jayalalithaa is understood to have chaired a similar meeting to review the SC order and prepare the further legal action.