The 1991 anti-Tamil violence in Karnataka refers to incidents of mob violence targeting Tamils in state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

in India. The incidents took place in Southern Karnataka on 12–13 December 1991, mainly in the cities of

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

and

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

. The attacks originated in the demonstrations organised against the orders of the Cauvery Water Tribunal appointed by the Government of India. The violence terrified the Tamil populace of Southern Karnataka forcing hundreds of thousands to flee in a matter of weeks. The official statistics given by the Government of Karnataka was that sixteen people had been killed in the police firing during protest but individual sources give higher numbers.

Nair The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histor ...

, p 259

Background

As of 2001, Tamil-speakers formed 3.82% of the total population of Karnataka. Minority Tamil-speaking people are found in the districts of Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural,

Ramanagara Ramanagara is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also the headquarters of Ramanagara district. It is approximately 50 kilometres from Bangalore. There are buses and trains as public transportations which approximately takes 90 minute ...

Kolar Kolar or Kolara is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Kolar district. The city is known for its milk production and gold mines. It is also known for Someshwara temple and Kolaramma temple. History The Weste ...

Hassan Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People *Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scottis ...

, few in

Mandya Mandya is a city in the state of Karnataka. It is the headquarter of Mandya district and is located from Mysore and from Bangalore. Sugar factories contribute to the major economic output. It is also called Sugar city (which in Kannada mean ...

and

Chamarajanagar Chamarajanagar or Chamarajanagara is a town in the southern part of Karnataka, India. Named after Chamaraja Wodeyar IX, the erstwhile king of Mysore, previously known as 'Arikottara'. Chamarajanagara is the headquarters of Chamarajanagar distr ...

in southern Karnataka, and few in

Shimoga Shimoga, officially known as Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the central part of the state of Karnataka, India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of ...

in central Karnataka While the Bangalore Cantonment area administered directly by the Government of British India prior to its integration with the then Mysore state, had a sizable Tamil-speaking populations. The migrants occupied extremely diverse positions in the socioeconomic strata and represented every class, caste and community in Tamil Nadu.

, pp 259 - 262 Gradually, this demographic and bureaucratic domination began to be resented by Kannada people who felt that the immigrant Tamils were snatching away their rightful jobs.

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Events

On 25 June 1991, the Kaveri Water Tribunal, constituted in 1990, directed the Karnataka state government to release 205 billion ft³ (5.8 km³) of water to Tamil Nadu within a year. Karnataka issued an ordinance to annul the tribunal's award but this was struck down by the Supreme Court of India. The tribunal's award was subsequently gazetted by the Government of India on 11 December 1991. The very next day, pro-Kannada organisations led by

Vatal Nagaraj Vatal Madappa Nagaraj is an Indian politician who was the Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Chamarajnagar. He is the founder and president of the Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha. In 1964 he led a two-month agitation demanding t ...

called for a bandh on 13 December alleging partisan behaviour of the Government of India. Their leaders declared The next day, marauding mobs roamed the streets of

. Tamil businesses, movie theatres and even vehicles with Tamil Nadu license plates were targeted. Soon the riots spread to the

Mysore district Mysore district, officially Mysuru district is an administrative district located in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mysore division.Chamarajanagar district, Chamarajanagar District wa ...

and other parts of southern Karnataka and

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

. Entire slums of migrants were torched. Over hundreds of Tamils fled from the state. A curfew of one week was declared under section 144. The violence left more than sixteen people dead in Bangalore city. The Indian Peoples' Human Rights Tribunal puts the total property losses suffered in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka at 170 million while the Venkatesh Commission has given estimates varying from 30 million to 155 million.

Aftermath

The situation was soon brought under control and though, there were incidents of violence reported till the end of 1991, the situation had calmed down. There have been similar incidents of violence in 1996, 2000,

, pp 234 - 235 2004 and 2016.

Notes

References

* * {{cite book, title=The promise of the metropolis: Bangalore's twentieth century, first=Janaki, last=Nair, publisher=Oxford University Press, id={{ISBN, 9780195667257, year=2005, isbn=0195667255 , ref=Nair Anti-Tamil Riots of Karnataka, 1991 Anti-Tamil Riots of Karnataka, 1991 1990s in Bangalore History of Karnataka (1947–present) Riots and civil disorder in India Regionalism in India Crime in Karnataka Violence against indigenous peoples

Background

Events

Aftermath

See also

Notes

References