Protests over the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have now spilled over to the online world.
On Saturday, a 22-year-old was assaulted by locals in Bengaluru for allegedly posting derogatory comments on social media about Kannada actors' protest over the dispute. The student is said to have roots in Tamil Nadu.
A video of the incident, which was widely shared on social media platforms, garnered significant outcry from users from both states who condemned the attack.
People from Bengaluru have also been posting messages on the city police's Facebook page asking for strict action to be taken against the attackers.
Though some people were supportive of the attack, many have written to the City Police asking for action against Yuva Karnataka, the group behind the attack.
RJ Danish Sait wrote, "Very sad! Doesn't matter what he said, doesn't matter where he's from ... It's wrong to hit someone this way! The language & the legacy of a state / country / religion is far superior to these thugs who walk around guarding it! BENGALURU CITY POLICE, please intervene."
Another user Anup asked the police, "Who are these beating up people? Has any action been taken against them?"
Over the weekend, hashtags such as #WeHateTamilnadu and #WeHateKarnataka were also doing the rounds on Twitter with "supporters" of each state indulging in outrage and mud-slinging.
It reached such an extent that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday had to urge people not to support any such hate campaign.
I appeal to Twitter users to not support any hate campaign. It is irresponsible and mischievous to support hate messages of any kind.
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) September 11, 2016
Several social media users too have criticised the hastags and have urged people not to spread hatred.