Police detained Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha president Vatal Nagaraj along with Kannada activists at SBM Circle in Bengaluru on 29 July 2026, as demonstrators rallied against the CWRC directive ordering Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu.
The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of Cauvery water per day for 15 days to Tamil Nadu — a directive that sparked immediate protests by pro-Kannada groups in Bengaluru on 29 July 2026.
Pro-Kannada demonstrators from Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha gathered at SBM Circle, Bengaluru on 29 July 2026 to oppose the CWRC order, with police detaining protesters including party president Vatal Nagaraj to maintain order.
The long-running Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu resurfaced sharply on 29 July 2026 after the CWRC issued its directive, drawing street protests in Bengaluru and detentions of pro-Kannada leaders including Vatal Nagaraj.