Bengaluru: Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj on Friday called for a statewide Karnataka bandh from 6 am to 6 pm on August 13, urging citizens, farmers, traders, transport workers and various organisations to join what he described as a united protest against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

Addressing reporters, Nagaraj said the bandh would be observed across the state, from Belagavi to Chamarajanagar and from Mangaluru to Kolar.

Appealing to Kannadigas to extend their full support, he urged people not to treat the bandh as merely a symbolic protest.

The veteran activist said the agitation was aimed at protecting Karnataka’s interests and asserted that the state should not release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu in view of its own water requirements. He called on farmers to participate in large numbers, describing the bandh as a movement to safeguard Karnataka’s water resources.

Nagaraj said several Kannada organisations, farmers’ associations, women’s groups, labour unions and government employees’ bodies were expected to support the protest. He added that he was reaching out to transport unions, including lorry owners, auto-rickshaw drivers, private bus operators and hotel associations, expressing confidence that they too would back the bandh.

He further claimed that members of the Kannada film industry had extended their support to the proposed bandh. He also appealed to students, workers and trade bodies across the state to participate in the protest.

Nagaraj said essential services, including hospitals, would remain exempt from the bandh. However, he urged the public to avoid unnecessary travel during the 12-hour shutdown and appealed to citizens to ensure the protest remained peaceful.

Describing the bandh as a crucial moment for Karnataka, Nagaraj called upon all sections of society to stand united in support of the state’s interests in the Cauvery water dispute.