Agitation

Jallikattu protests continue in Tamil Nadu

protest-jallikattu Students during a protest demanding the lifting of ban on jallikattu in Marina Beach in Chennai | PTI

Massive protests continued on Thursday in Tamil Nadu in support of jallikattu, the ancient and popular bull-taming sport.

At the Marina beach in Chennai, protesters sat through Wednesday night and on Thursday morning, they helped in cleaning up the area which is a litter-free zone.

Thousands of protestors demanded not only an end to the ban on jallikattu but also a ban on People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which opposes the sport.

With several colleges declaring holiday in Chennai and in other parts of the state, the number of students who would assemble at Marina is expected to go up.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O.Panneerselvam will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi to press for promulgation of an ordinance enabling the conduct of jallikattu.

In jallikattu, a bull vaulter is expected to hang on to the animal's hump for a stipulated distance or for a minimum of three jumps by the bull.

The Supreme Court in May 2014 banned jallikattu, saying that bulls cannot be used as performing animals including bullock-cart races.

Since then, people have been urging the central government to take steps to allow the sport.

The common complaint among the protest leaders was that the Supreme Court had insulted the Tamil culture by disallowing the sport.

In Chennai, the demonstration began on Tuesday morning following the arrest of jallikattu protesters in Madurai district's Alanganallur town well known for conducting the sport.

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