MANDYA: The screening of Tamil films, including Chief Minister Vijay’s ‘Jana Nayagan’, has been suspended across Karnataka until further notice after protests over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute.The Karnataka Film Exhibitors Association announced the statewide suspension on Friday, a day after pro-Kannada groups disrupted Tamil film screenings in Mandya and Chamarajanagar.In Mandya, protesters gathered outside a cinema screening Tamil films and tried to enter the premises while raising slogans against the Cauvery Water Regulation Authority’s (CWRA) order directing Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for 15 days. Police stopped the demonstrators from entering the theatre.The protests came as pro-Kannada organisations intensified their agitation against the water release order. Activists have also called for a statewide bandh on 13 August.The bandh was announced by pro-Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj after a meeting of several Kannada organisations in Bengaluru. He said the shutdown would be observed from 6am to 6pm across the state and urged people to support it.Nagaraj also accused political parties of using the Cauvery issue for political gain.The Cauvery water-sharing dispute has long been a flashpoint between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with court orders and water release directives often triggering protests in both states.
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