Cauvery water war: Petrol bombs hurled at Kannadiga hotel in Chennai; vehicles damaged

Chennai: Even as the Supreme Court is set to hear a plea on the Cauvery water dispute, the protests spilled onto the streets of Chennai early on Monday when a group of unknown men hurled petrol bombs at a Karnataka eatery in Chennai on Monday.

As per reports, a group of men attacked the New Woodlands Hotel in Myalapore and broke furniture. They also left pamphlets warning more retaliatory attacks if Tamilians were harmed in Karnataka.

The Cauvery issue is boiling elsewhere in the state with a group of pro-Tamil activists torched Karnataka registered vehicles in Ramnathpuram district.

Also, a bus from Karnataka was vandalised by Naam Tamilar Katchi party workers in Rameshwaram. Goons in guise of pro-Tamil activists beat up driver and quizzed him if he was ferrying Kannadigas.

Yesterday, a Kannadiga literature meet was also disrupted in Coimbatore.

The Supreme Court is expected to conduct an early hearing today on the application filed by Karnataka seeking a direction to reduce the quantum of water to be released from Cauvery river to Tamil Nadu from 15,000 cusecs to 1,000 cusecs.

The Supreme Court's decision to hear the plea, filed late last evening, came after it was mentioned before the court's registry, which consulted Chief Justice T S Thakur.

In its plea, Karnataka has sought modification of the apex court's September 5 order for release of 15,000 cusecs of water for 10 days as immediate relief to Tamil Nadu farmers.