After a morning of violent
protests across the state of Tamil Nadu, the
state assembly on Monday passed a bill that replaces an ordinance and
legalises jallikattu, the bull taming sport, in the state. The bill, which was
tabled by Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, was passed within minutes of its
introduction. The bill replaced the ordinance that was promulgated on Saturday
amending the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The latest development comes
at a time when peaceful protest over the issue turned violent over allowing the
bull-taming sport across the state.
Earlier on Monday, Chennai police
started evicting scores of pro-jallikattu demonstrators from protest venues
across the state, especially from the Marina Beach, which was the epicentre of
the stir for the past one week. Reports also said that the
protesters resorted to stone-pelting and police lathicharged.
At the Marina, the police action
began early on Monday morning with roads to the beach being cordoned off and
police personnel being deployed in large numbers. Some protesters lined up
at the seashore forming a human chain and a group entered the water refusing to
heed police requests to disperse. Some
others staged a sit-in on the sands while others regrouped in nearby areas,
shouting slogans and allegedly throwing stones on policemen. Police burst
teargas shells and reportedly lathicharged to chase away a section of
protesters who had regrouped at Triplicane near Marina Beach and allegedly
started throwing stones at police personnel.
The protesters had been
demonstrating for the past one week demanding lifting of the ban on jallikattu.
Despite promulgation of an
ordinance on Saturday for conducting the bull-taming sport, they had vowed to
carry on with their protest till a permanent solution was found to ensure that
the sport is held annually without any hindrance. TV visuals showed men and women in khaki
physically removing protesters from the beach. At Coimbatore, police
forcibly evicted the protesters from VOC Park Grounds here where they were
agitating for the last six days. As the appeal made by senior officials to
clear the grounds failed, police in large numbers started to bodily lift the
protesters and shift them out of the venue.
Women police personnel were seen
taking women agitators, some elderly and some with babies in their arms, out of
the grounds, despite them appealing with folded hands not to disturb the
peaceful agitation. Even as some
protesters were seen leaving the venue voluntarily, police removed nearly 300
protesters from there, police said.
Protesting against the police
action, some youths formed a human chain on the main Avanashi chain and police
made a 'mild' cane charge to disperse them, police said. A section of protesters were raising slogans
in support of their demand for a permanent act for conducting jallikkatu and
against Peta and police, near the Central Jail, some 200 metres from the venue,
prompting the police to take into custody nearly 300 people, they said.
Police said they had cleared the
ground, venue for the Republic Day function, and it is under control of the
district administration and police.
Protests are reportedly
continuing in Madurai with demonstrators allegedly throwing stones at police in
Alanganallur even as officials are trying to persuade the agitators to
disperse. Police forcibly removed protesters from protest venues at
Alanganallur, famous for jallikattu events, when they refused to heed to their
repeated requests to disperse. According to Alanganallur police, 20 people,
many of them policemen, were injured in stone-pelting by protesters. Roads near
the protest venue was strewn with stones, glass pieces and logs.
Alanganallur village is now under
the control of the police, they added.
Police said protesters at
Cuddalore, Tirunelveli and Erode had dispersed. Earlier, the Alanganallur
village committee, which was satisfied with the ordinance, had agreed to hold
jallikattu on February 1 and thanked those who participated in the agitation in
favour of the bull-taming sport.
Though the decision of the local
committee was made through public announcement system, some miscreants at the
agitation venue refused to disperse and started pelting stones, police
said. There was a scuffle between police and some youths in which
protesters were injured. Police were forced to take action as several rounds of
talks failed, an official said. Police said the situation was fully under
control and some persons who were seen instigating the crowd have been detained
for questioning. Meanwhile, DIG of Police Anand Somani led a flag march in
the village to boost the confidence of the local people. In Madurai, Additional SP Murugesh held talks
with protesting students and urged them to disperse. One woman was injured
in the scuffle between police and youths in the city. Police resorted to
lathicharge at two places in Coimbatore to disperse protesters who allegedly
indulged in stone pelting against the security force.
A group of students of a private
engineering college squatted on the airport road to protest eviction from VOC
Park Grounds and seeking a permanent solution to the jallikkattu issue.
Police resorted to mild
lathicharge after they refused to disperse, police said. Three police
personnel, including a woman, were injured when they started pelting stones.
The injured have been admitted to the government hospital, they
said. Meanwhile, some 200 people sat on dharna near the Central Bus stand
in Gandhipuram to protest police action. Police managed to chase them away.
According to police, about 300
persons, including students, who were removed from VOC Park grounds during the
crackdown and lodged at a marriage hall, refused to have lunch and announced
their decision to observe a fast, police said.
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