Karnataka bandh: What will remain open? Which services will be affected?

With more organisations deliberating on whether to extend their support to the bandh call, clarity on whether hotels, cabs, autos and shops will continue to operate will come by August 12 evening.

Updated - August 12, 2026 05:36 pm IST - Bengaluru

Kannada activists staging an empty pot protest in Mysuru against the directions to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. File photo for representation. | Photo Credit: M. A. Sriram

With various Kannada outfits calling for a Karnataka bandh on Thursday (August 13, 2026), more organisations and associations are expected to decide on extending their support by Wednesday (August 12) evening.

However, veteran Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj has said that they will definitely proceed with the bandh. As a precursor to the event, Mr. Nagaraj’s group has also called for a demonstration with “brooms” at Majestic Bus Stand on August 12.

The shutdown, which is expected to remain effective from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., could affect public transport and shops and commercial establishments, while schools and offices are expected to operate as usual. In addition, the bandh is unlikely to affect essential services such as healthcare, pharmacies and banks.

While Mr. Nagaraj had initially said that the bandh in the State was in protest against the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) directive to release water to Tamil Nadu, he clarified on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) that the bandh was also intended to highlight all major irrigation and development issues, including the Kalasa-Banduri and Mekedatu projects.

A clearer picture of which services are likely to be disrupted and which ones will function normally will emerge by August 12 evening, as hotel associations, cab and autorickshaw unions, and traders’ associations are expected to announce their decisions evening after meetings with their respective Union members.

Private schools to remain open

Meanwhile, private schools, including the Karnataka Associated Management of Schools (KAMS), have withdrawn their earlier advisory regarding the closure of schools in connection with the ‘Cauvery Bandh’, citing the loss of academic days.

At the same time, KAMS expressed its moral and peaceful support for the cause of protecting Karnataka’s legitimate interests in the Cauvery water dispute. “As a symbolic gesture of solidarity, school management representatives, teaching staff and non-teaching staff may wear a black ribbon or black strip on the day of the Bandh, without disrupting academic activities,” said D.Shashikumar, General Secretary, KAMS.

KAMS has also advised its member schools to use this occasion as an educational opportunity. It said that students from Classes 5 to 12 may be provided with age-appropriate and factual awareness about the history and background of the Cauvery water dispute, Karnataka’s dependence on Cauvery water for drinking, agriculture and livelihoods, the difficulties faced during years of deficit rainfall and water scarcity, as well as the reasons behind Karnataka’s concerns.

The Karnataka Kavalu Pade (KKP), which held a meeting in Mysuru with various Kannada outfits, students’ organisations, farmers’ leaders and progressive groups, has decided to indirectly support the bandh. Instead, KKP President Mohan Kumar Gowda said members of the outfit would stage a symbolic protest at Harding Circle, also known as Jayachamarajendra Circle, in the city.

“Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has said that farmers and Kannada activists can rest, since his government has promised to protect our interests. As the CM has given such an assurance, we will lie down for an hour at the Harding Circle, starting 11 a.m.,” Mr. Gowda said.

Published - August 12, 2026 01:33 pm IST

Karnataka / demonstration / water (natural resource)

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