MADURAI: With protests being staged in the State urging the Central and State governments to grant permission to conduct Jallikattu, the bull-taming sport was conducted, in violation of the Supreme Court ban, at several places in the district, on Sunday.
In Madurai district, Alanganallur, Palamedu and Avaniyapuram are famous, as thousands including foreigners witness man test his might against the bulls. The event at Palamedu is said to present a beautiful look as there is a straight and long ground from the vadi vasal.
According to sources, six temple bulls were brought near the vadi vasal after performing poojas at Palamedu. Heavy police forces were deployed and barricades were placed around the vadi vasal.
As the bulls were released, hundreds who gathered near the vadi vasal began cheering.
A tense situation prevailed in the area. Hundreds of police officials were deployed in the area. All shops remained closed and black flags were hoisted at houses, condemning the ban.
Speaking to Express, S Machavel, a Palamedu resident said “We held a meeting with the locals on Saturday evening and planned to conduct Jallikattu. People are sad and are not celebrating Pongal due to the ban,” added Machavel.
D Alagupillai, an elderly woman, said that she has been witnessing Jallikattu for the past 25 years. “The main occupation of people from Palamedu and surrounding areas is agriculture. Jallikattu is a traditional sport and if it is not conducted, then there are problems. Several years ago, Jallikattu was not conducted at Palamedu, due to which there was a severe drought. Since the sport has not been conducted for the past three years, the region has seen deficient rainfall, due to which the farmers have suffered losses,” said Alagupillai.
SP Vijayendra S Bidari said six bulls were brought to the place for pooja. At first, three bulls were released by the organisers. The event cannot be really called Jallikattu as no bulls were released through the vadi vasal.
He said that a total of six checkpoints were set up to restrict the entry. Additionally, 600 policemen were deployed at Palamedu and 2,000 policemen were deployed across the district.
Collector K Veera Raghava Rao inspected Palamedu and surrounding villages to ensure protection.
Meanwhile, Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan said in Nagercoil that he felt ashamed to talk about PETA. He added that the people of the State assembly and Parliament members know about the efforts he took regarding Jallikattu. “Without blaming each other among us, we should have worked jointly,” he said.