Chennai
The Tamil Nadu government Saturday decided to seek the review of a
Supreme Court order banning the traditional bullfight - jallikattu.
In a statement released Saturday evening, Chief Secretary L.K.
Tripathi said the decision to seek review of the court decision was
taken in view of "widespread disappointment" among people.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting here after which
Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi instructed government lawyers to file
a review petition, Tripathi said.
Jallikattu is a traditional bullfight that takes place just after
the harvest festival of Pongal, to be celebrated Tuesday. The bulls
are in a high state of excitement and are tamed by men, in an event
considered as part of the worship of mother Goddess Muthalamma.
Government sources said there was pressure from the ruling DMK's
allies, the PMK and the Dalit Panthers of India (also known as VCK)
that the government should file a review petition. The petition is
likely to be filed Sunday.
Earlier Saturday, Police in Tamil Nadu registered a case against the
organisers of a jallikattu event a day after the Supreme Court
upheld the ban on the event.
The bullfight was organised Friday in Soorakudi village, in
Sivaganga district about 650 km from state capital Chennai. The
organisers had given a written undertaking not to conduct the fight
but still went ahead with the event, police officers said.
The Supreme Court Friday had upheld the ban on jallikattu, saying
the bullfight in which the animals are tortured and made to run amok
represented "severe cruelty".
In a verdict in favour of animal rights groups that have protested
this tradition, the apex court ruled, " ...let there not be any
confrontation between the public and the bull".
The tradition of taming the bull is said to have been observed among
tribes of the southern districts of Tamil Nadu since 300 AD and is
said to find mention in the classic "Cilappatikaram".
The tradition is now an annual routine in the villages across the
southern districts of the state during the three-day Pongal festival
and is billed by the state government as a tourist attraction, with
the largest show in Allanganallur near Madurai.
The local government in Soorakudi village met Saturday and said it
would observe a "black day" on the Pongal day. Shops were shut
Saturday despite the festive season as a mark of protest against the
court ruling.
The popular sport has been showcased in over half a dozen Tamil
films, including the Rajnikant-starrer "Murrattu Kalai" and Kamal
Haasan-starrer "Veerumandi".
Peoples For Animal convenor Shiranee Pereira said the Supreme Court
verdict "is a judgement that has recognised the sanctity of life".
Every year several people die in the effort to tame bulls and scores
of animals are injured, she added.
The police will find it difficult to enforce the apex court order,
senior police officials said on condition of anonymity.
They maintain that thousands of villagers believe that not having a
jallikattu would amount to displeasing Goddess Muthalamma and would
bring ill fate and calamity to the villages.
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