She instigated the arson attack on the buses.
The Cauvery water row has sparked violent protests and destruction of properties in the cities of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
On September 12, widespread violence broke out in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka to protest against the court’s segregation of Cauvery’s water between the two states.
In the outrage, 42-buses belonging to Tamil Nadu-based private travel firm KPN were set on fire along with other irreparable damages to the city and its people.
On Monday, the city police have identified and arrested a 22-year-old woman named C Bhagya who is shown to have instigated the arson attack on the buses in the CCTV footage of the KPN garage where the violence took place.
“Bhagya was arrested on Thursday night, based on CCTV footage recorded in the vicinity of the incident. She was produced before a local court on Friday and was taken into police custody as her exact role and motive behind the torching of the buses and instigating the mob is yet to be ascertained. Since she is a woman, she cannot be kept in the police station overnight and has been sent to a remand home in Madiwala. She will be brought to RR Nagar police station on Saturday morning by a team of women police personnel and will be interrogated,†indiatimes quoted an officer who is part of the investigation.
During the investigation, C Bhagya’s mother Yellamma was questioned by the local media about her daughter’s motive. According to Yellamma, Bhagya (who’s a daily wage laborer) was offered Rs 100 and a plate of mutton biriyani by some of her ‘friends’ to join the protest.
Bhagya was arrested from her house that she shares with her parents in Bengaluru and she was booked for “attempt to murder (IPC 307), rioting with deadly weapon (IPC 148), voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means (IPC 324), causing damage (IPC 427), damage by fire or explosive substance (IPC 435) and Column 2 of Destruction and Loss of Property Act of 1981.â€
According to the Bangalore Mirror, the accused still does not have any legal representation because she comes from a poor background and can’t afford it.
The Cauvery water dispute back to 1892 according to the Indian Express after an agreement between Madras Presidency and Mysore was filed for negotiations but led to a fresh set of disputes. The conflict went on after independence after an agreement was reached in 1976 by a committee over water sharing.