KALABURAGI: Because of severe water scarcity in the city, residents of Ram Mandir locality comprising of Vivekanand Nagar, Ravindranath Tagore Nagar, Oza Layout and areas around Sri Guru College staged a protest on Friday, only to be caned by the police. Ravindranath Tagore Nagar resident Sheshamurthy Avadhani, a senior journalist, told The New Indian Express that residents including men, women and senior citizens of the region who did not get water supply for four to five days went to Ram Mandir Circle and sat there on a silent dharana on Friday morning.

Within half-an-hour, police personnel from different stations arrived at the spot and asked the people to withdraw their agitation as it was hampering public movement and creating traffic issues. The protesters refused to stop the agitation, saying they would do so only after water was supplied in their area. The police then resorted to “mild force” to quell the mob.

One of the protesters contacted Kalaburagi District Incharge Minister Priyank Kharge and briefed him about the incident. Kharge told the informer that using force on people demanding for water is uncalled for and will ask officials concerned to go to the spot immediately, Avadhani said.