Miffed With PETA, Jallikattu Supporters Protest
Around 2,000 people from Alanganallur, a popular venue for Jallikattu on Monday picketed the District Collectorate.
Protesting over the Supreme Court ban on bull-taming sport jallikattu for the second day, around 2,000 people from Alanganallur, a popular venue for Jallikattu on Monday picketed the District Collectorate.
They also tried to surrender their voter identification cards, police told PTI.
The irate villagers, including women, gathered at the sprawling Thamukkam grounds in the district and marched to the Collectorate, where they shouted slogans demanding steps for conduct of the traditional sport and condemning animal rights group PETA, which has been opposing it.
When they sought to surrender their voter ID cards, District Collector L Subramanian, who addressed them, pacified them and said efforts were on to remove the legal hurdles in the way of conducting jallikattu.
The protesters dispersed after the Collector’s intervention.
Monday’s protest was held as part of agitations announced by the villagers, bull owners and tamers after the Supreme Court, hearing petitions by PETA and others, last week stayed a recent central government notification allowing conduct of jallikattu.
Disappointed at not being able to hold the event during the Pongal festivities between 14-17 January, the villagers had yesterday staged a demonstration in Alanganallur, where jallikattu used attract large number of spectators, including foreign tourists.
Similar agitations were held in several other villages in the district and elsewhere in the region in the past few days.
Protests have been held by villagers in Tamil Nadu over the past days following the Supreme Court’s decision on 12 January.
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