Stir over jallikattu continues in TN -Governance Now

Stir over jallikattu continues in TN

Draft ordinance seeking amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act has been sent to MHA, says chief minister O Panneerselvam

Shivani Chaturvedi | January 20, 2017 | Chennai

#MHA #supreme court #Tamil Nadu #jallikattu

Protesters at Marina beach

Thousands of youth continue to gather at Chennai’s Marina beach in support of jallikattu, a traditional bull taming sport, in Tamil Nadu.

So far which looked like a students’ movement, is emerging as a mass movement including professionals. People from all sections are coming out in support of jallikattu. Agitation seems to be growing with every passing day. “We have come out to the streets to safeguard our culture,” says Dinesh, an IT professional who joined the protest after office hours.

Dinesh with another protester in support of jallikattu

Professor Ramu Manivannan, who teaches at Madras University says, “[The protest] is a manifestation of the anger against the centre and state government on several issues including Cauvery waters. Though it youth centric, it is no longer a students’ movement. Old and young are equally taking their anger to the streets.”

“We have asked political parties to keep away from the issue since they would try to take political gains from it,” says Selvaraj, a student. DMK workers held a ‘rail roko’ protest earlier in the day. MK Stalin, party leader, was taken into preventive custody for a brief period for halting a train during the party’s state-wide railway block, before being released. Auto-rickshaws with attached black flags saying “we want jallikattu” were seen on the streets all day.

In order to prevent further unrest in the state, supreme court has agreed to not pass any interim order for a week on jallikattu. Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi had mentioned before the CJI court that jallikattu judgment should be deferred till next week as union and state governments are trying to solve the issue.

A Marx writer and activist who participated in the agitation, says, “It is also turning out to be a movement against the centre and prime minister Narendra Modi. In Puducherry at least five effigies of Modi were burnt by people supporting jallikattu”.

Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam had said that a draft ordinance seeking an amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 has been sent to the ministry of home affairs (MHA), urging protesters to withdraw from Marina beach. “Tamil Nadu government has sent a draft of the amendment to MHA this morning. I believe draft will be approved in one or two days which will pave the way for jallikattu,” said Panneerselvam to news agencies.

Protesters near harbour custom house, Chennai

Comments

Other News

Mumbai’s missing affordable homes

Mumbai’s real estate market keeps growing, yet homeownership remains out of reach for much of its population. Three experts – urban researcher Hussain Indorewala, urban planner Vidyadhar Phatak and developer Kamlesh Thakur of NAREDCO Maharashtra, agree that simply constructing more apartments

Rubio denies US foreknowledge of Starlink restrictions in Ukraine

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said he was unfamiliar with the Wall Street Journal report suggesting Elon Musk had decided to throttle Starlink services in Ukraine, but rejected claims that Washington had ordered the restrictions to pressure Kyiv. “There was no

Can AI change India’s breast cancer story?

Breast cancer has become a public-health challenge in India. The greatest opportunity is to find cancers earlier. Artificial intelligence (AI) is opening a new era in breast cancer detection. AI systems can analyse mammograms and other breast-imaging studies, identify subtle abnormalities and assist radi

Farm stability in the time of climate change

Indian agriculture is experiencing significant climate volatility, while the world economy seems to be in a highly volatile situation. Economic indices from various countries show that they need to recalibrate their strategies to withstand economic headwinds. In such a challenging situation, a country li

El Niño threatens India’s Rabi crops

India’s southwest monsoon ended with a 13% rainfall deficit in 2026, its weakest performance in a decade, raising concerns over agricultural production, water security and the upcoming rabi season. With El Niño expected to persist into early 2027, experts warn that declining soil moisture, dep

Regulating the data advantage: India’s new e-Commerce framework

For over a decade, India’s e-commerce story has rested on a simple premise: platforms connect buyers and sellers, while data fuels efficiency, personalisation, and scale. However, as the market matured, its structure has revealed a growing imbalance. E-commerce platforms, especially marketplace ent