As thousands of pro-Jallikattu protesters remain gathered on Chennai’s Marina Beach, supporters of the sport in Bengaluru decided to assemble outside Bengaluru’s Town Hall on Thursday to demand scrapping of the ban imposed on it.
Over a hundred people gathered outside Town Hall and protested for over two hours. Police had to ask the protesters to leave as the numbers increased.
Slogans were raised against the Supreme Court verdict banning Jallikattu, and the protesters demanded that the bull be removed from the list of animals which cannot be used for performance purposes.
Members of the crowd also demanded that animal rights organisation PETA be banned.
Protesters held placards which read “We want Jallikattu, we support Jallikattu”. The crowd shouted “PETA beda, (Don’t want PETA)” and slogans against Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy.
Rajan, President of the Karnataka Thamil Makkal Iyakkam, the prime organisers of the event said that the protesters had made it a point to peacefully raise their demands.
"Even when we sought the permission of the police to hold the event, we had assured them that we won't create any trouble. This is a means to mark our protest against the ban on our culture. If we do not voice it, who else will? Youngsters across Karnataka have now come together to speak for our right to hold Jallikattu," Rajan said.
For 29-year-old Dr Thirumurugan, Jallikattu is not just a sport, but a means that helps the native breeds of Tamil Nadu.
"The sport is a way of identifying the best bulls so that a future generation of healthy bulls can be created. If the ban on the sport continues, it will destroy the native breeds. The people will then have no other means than to depend on milk from artificial sources, which will have adverse effect on their health," he said.
"If you look at PETA, it is a completely foreign-funded organization. The amount of money they spend on fighting cases such as these is enormous. It is only natural to conclude that they are driven by corporates," he said.
58-year-old Arasu, a social worker who joined the protest, said that seeing young people, including students, coming forward to stand up for their Tamil culture was a refreshing sight.
Our demands are very clear. Allow the conduct of Jallikattu, throw PETA out of India. They are wrong in questioning a practice that has been going on forever. Our CM (TN CM O Paneerselvam) met Modi today and did that help? Whatever politics is happening in the name of jallikattu, we are not bothered about all that. We will not tolerate any problem in holding the sport and we, as a people, are clear about our demands. Politics does not matter to us.Arasu, Social Worker
In another show of solidarity, a few employees of IT giant Infosys also protested against the ban on Jallikattu outside the Infosys office building at Electronic City.
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