The Jallikattu Bill was unanimously passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly during a special session on Monday as protests over the bull-taming sport took a violent turn. It tabled by Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and was passed within a few minutes. The bill will now replace the ordinance promulgated by the state government Earlier in the day, students leading the Jallikattu protests clashed with police and torched several vehicles after they were forcibly evicted from the Marina beach, the epicenter of the protests. The pro-Jallikattu protesters set fire to vehicles parked at the Ice House police station and attacked police personnel according to The Indian Express.
A large posse of police personnel descended on Marina beach, where hundreds of people have been camping since January 17, and began to drag away the young protesters. There was bedlam at the beach as a few tried to forcibly prevent police from whisking away the protesters. The police then used batons to disperse the mobs. As people ran from the beach and gathered on the streets, there was more violence. The violence was intense in Triplicane area near the beach. The police also fired tear gas to disperse the crowds who assembled on several roads leading to the beach and hurled stones at security personnel. All routes leading to the Marina have been cordoned off.
The eviction in Chennai began after week-long protests across Tamil Nadu. In Madurai too, youths who have been demanding the lifting of the 2014 Supreme Court ban on Jallikattu, fought with police on the streets. The demonstrators want the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act amended so that Jallikattu can be held without legal hurdles. In Coimbatore, the police pounced on a protester who threatened to self-immolate himself. They were successful in seizing a kerosene canister from him.
On Sunday, the government organised Jallikattu in several places following the promulgation of an ordinance. P Rajasekhar, president of the Jallikattu Pathukaapu Peravai, has urged people to call off their agitation. ‘Hip-Hop Tamizha’ Adhi, a rap musician whose song in support of Jallikattu attracted the protesters, distanced himself from the crowds as they were moving in a different direction, he said.
While many are upset with the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for opposing Jallikattu, in most protest venues slogans were raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam. Some placards held by a few protesters were vulgar and there were random calls demanding a separate Tamil land.
Meanwhile, DMK leader M.K. Stalin condemned the police action as authoritarian.
PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss said the party was withdrawing its plans to hold Jallikattu protests on January 26 as the government had passed an ordinance permitting the sport. Celebrities from Tamil film industries including superstar Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan too urged to protesters fro peace and asked them to return home.
Protests demanding lifting of the ban on bull-taming sport 'jallikattu' have spread to beyond India with the Tamil diaspora in Sri Lanka, Britain and Australia holding demonstrations.
Sri Lankan Tamils demonstrated pro and against this movement.
