JOHOR BARU – Several Malaysian families currently in Bangalore, India on vacation and business trips are stuck in their hotels after a curfew was imposed following riots in the city due to water disputes between two states there.
They were forced to stay indoors following a three-day curfew that began at 4.30pm on Monday.
Businessman S. Suresh, 35, who was on vacation with his family said that they were stuck in the hotel with armed guards stationed at the hotel lobby.
“We are stuck and now making arrangements to leave as soon as possible after we witnessed violent mobs and vehicles being burnt on Monday,” he said, adding that there were a lot of policemen on the streets.
Suresh said that a few other Malaysians were also stuck in the same hotel in Rajajinagar on Magudi Road.
He added that he had called the Malaysian consulate-general’s office in Chennai to ask for help but was told that they were closed for Hari Raya Haji.
“They do not even have a duty officer or a number for me to call a Malaysian embassy official for help.
“The man there who answered my call asked me to call back tomorrow,” he lamented.
Riots erupted over the past few days after an Indian Supreme Court ordered the release of the water to Tamil Nadu in Bangalore on Sept 12.
The curfew came after rampaging mobs set fire to dozens of buses, trucks and cars and attacked shops and businesses in Bangalore and some other parts of the state.
Karnataka is facing an acute shortage of water in its reservoirs and rivers as the state has only received sub-par rainfall in catchment areas, leading to protests by farmers and pro-government organisations refusing to share water with its neighbouring state.
