Cauvery water row: Karnataka-born actors Rajinikanth, Prabhu Deva's security beefed up

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Police on Tuesday tightened the security of severals south superstars like Rajinikanth, Prabhu Deva and Ramesh Aravind, in the wake of escalating tension between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over Cauvery water issue. 

"Extra security has been provided and personnel has been deployed at houses of actors from Karnataka in the state," Tamil Nadu DGP told media.

Rajinikanth, who enjoys a huge fan following in Karnataka, yesterday came under the radar of several activists of a pro-Kannada group, who tore the superstar's movie posters in Bengaluru. 

During the release of Rajinikanth's recent release 'Kabali', his posters and hoarding were put up in many places in Bengaluru and Mysuru. Some of those posters were torn apart by the mob shouting anti-Tamil Nadu slogans.

Protesters also damaged Rajinikanth's hoardings in Mysuru's Siddharth Nagar and removed posters in Ramakrishna Nagar Circle, reports said.

Widespread violence had broken out in southern Karnataka on Monday over the apex court order to release Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu, with angry Kannadiga protesters torching over 200 buses of a Tamil-owned bus depot in Bengaluru.

Parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry too saw protests by fringe outfits, with some commercial and government establishments of Karnataka coming under attack, in an apparent retaliation of happenings in Karnataka.

In view of the deteriorating situation, the Centre rushed 10 companies (about 1,000 personnel) of the special anti-riot paramilitary force RAF to Karnataka.