Protests against the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s (CWRC) order for Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu for 15 days intensified in Mandya district on Thursday, with the movie Jana Nayagan, starring Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, also facing the protesters’ wrath. Apart from tearing the movie’s posters, the protesters laid siege to Mandya’s Gurushri Theatre, where the movie was being screened. They called off the demonstration only after the theatre agreed to stop the movie screening. The protests, organised by farmer outfits and supported by pro-Kannada groups, condemned the order to release water at a time when farmers in the state are facing severe hardship due to reduced monsoon rain.