Nithin Kamath's Weblog

Update 8:00 pm
The will be lifted tomorrow between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm, however the educational institutions will remain closed and Section 144 will still be in place.

Update 6:15 pm
There is news that the curfew will be extended till Tuesday morning 7:00 am, also there was some violence today in Bunder area.

Update 3:00 pm
daijiworld.com reports:

A mad rush is at the railway station where the student community can be seen waiting in long queues for railway tickets to return to their houses. The police at the station are having a tough time to control them and maintain order.

Update: 1:30 pm
After the curfew relaxation between 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, the curfew is back on. Many political people are in Mangalore currently on a visit to review the situation.

Update: 10:30 am:
I had just been to Hampankatta, the situation there is just like a normal day, with just the addition of police with arms standing everywhere. Due to the heavy traffic, traffic signal has also been put on. (The image shown is taken from daijiworld.com, and the area is Kankanady (correct me if i am wrong))

Today there is not as much rush as yesterday, this is due to the fact that there are more shops open. Rush can be seen at a few places such as the petrol bunk. I could see many tempo transporting goods, which i believe is for the various hotels and hostel.

There was a CNBC/IBN/TV18 mobile van at Hampankatta, which i noticed while waiting for the signal. Also the milk was selling at the MRP at the milk booth in Hampankatta and there was enough stock of it, this I am assuming by the number of crates that were around there. And I also saw some youngsters (students) with bags heading towards the railway station, they must be returning home, after a struggle for food and other necessities here in the past 3-4 days.

Update: 7:45 am:
There are reports on TV that there will be relaxation of curfew between 9:00 am to 1:00 pm today.

7:15 am:
Today marks the fifth day of complete shutdown of Mangalore city, with the shops remaining shut and the buses, auto’s being off the road. Also today is the third straight day the curfew is imposed, (which has been extended till 6:00 pm today). School and Colleges will remain shut for two more days.

In our area, the morning looked very normal today with the newspaper arriving at the doorstep at its usual time of 5:40 am. The milk booth unlike yesterday, had the milk stock; but the milk was being sold at Rs. 20 per litre (Rs. 7 above the normal price). Even with the higher price the milk is already sold out by 7:30 a.m. There are reports in the newspaper that yesterday in some areas like Urwa the milk was sold at Rs.30/ltr.

Since there was no violence reported yesterday, so I am hopeful that the curfew will be removed today evening.

Updates to continue…

Update:
The curfew has been extended till 6:00 pm on Monday Oct 9.

Update 12:15 PM:
Mangalorean.com reports:

Curfew will continue from 11:00 am onwards through the day and tonight. Situation will be studied later in the day and accordingly if found normal curfew may be relaxed for 4 hours tomorrow morning. CRPF and RAF troupes will hold a flag march in the city tomorrow and decision on further relaxing or lifting curfew will be taken only then.

People waiting in long lines near Janata Bazar to buy milk and withdraw money from the ATM today morning when curfew was relaxed.

Update 10:15 AM:
Latest from the city, many shops are open as curfew is relaxed from 9:00 to 11:00 am. People can be seen waiting in lines in front of Milk booth, bakery shop, vegetable shops, etc, in fact long lines can be seen in front of any shop which is open. Also some roads such as the market road is nearing traffic jam state with hundreds of cars and two wheelers thronging them. There is also a Aaj Tak Mobile Van waiting to cover the situation live, they are trying to find people who can speak Hindi; to take interview. So till now the situation is clam in the relaxed period.

Update 8:00 AM: mangalorean.com reports:

Sial said the situation would be brought to normal within 24 hours but added that prohibitory orders under section 144 CRPC would remain for a few more days as a precautionary measure.

At 6:15 AM
So how is the situation today…our area is as calm as any other day this week. Early morning people would be seen taking their morning walks, many were waiting in front of the two milk booths waiting for the milk to arrive, and the newspaper which costs Rs. 3 was now selling for Rs. 5 due to short supply.

More updates will follow…

Mangalore is no more what it was a few years back….I know it as a place with warm, happy and friendly people, where there is very little violence and everyone enjoys the life to the fullest. But things have taken the turn for the worse, for the past three days there has been nothing but violence, it looks like the communal forces have taken over Mangalore. The consequence have been adverse, people have lost their life..Shops are closed, no buses running, Business are running under loss, life is completely thrown out of track…have you wondered what would be the situation of the people who earn daily wages, who barely manage to feed their families for a day, have now to survive for 3+ days without earning anything and food also not being available as shops are closed…..who is gaining from all this……i believe no one…..it 100% loss for everyone involved.

What does one get by throwing stones and attacking each other, nothing but more anger and tension leading to people wanting to kill each other. I just hope that the violence and all the trouble end soon, paving way to normalcy. I hear now that “Curfew has been imposed in Mangalore and Police vans are driving around the city of Mangalore announcing the imposing of curfew”. There is so much to say, but I will end with this…. Mangalore City I knew…RIP.

Update: 7 Oct 2006 [10:00 pm]
ndtv.com: Fresh violence near Mangalore, 5 stabbed

Fresh violence has flared up near Mangalore. According to reports, five people have been stabbed and one is seriously injured. Mangalore continues to remain tense after violent clashes flared up across the city on Wednesday.

daijiworld.com: Police to hold Flag March in City – No Relaxation in Curfew yet

Answering the queries about relaxation of curfew in the city, he said that curfew will be lifted on trial basis for an hour on Sunday. Accordingly, curfew will be lifted from 11am to 12 pm on Sunday. “But if the people respond positively, we would lift curfew for two hours in the afternoon. Meanwhile milk and other necessary items will be supplied to people’s house in some of the areas on Sunday.