COIMBATORE: Tharamangalam police in Salem district registered an FIR against YouTuber Raghu and two others for their alleged role in feeding a live rooster to a bull that was being trained for jallikattu. The action was taken based on a complaint lodged by G Arun Prasanna, founder of Chennai based animal protection group named People for Cattle in India.
Prasanna said the incident happened on December 22 and the video emerged three days ago. Raghu had uploaded on Instagram a clip which shows two individuals restraining the bull by its horns while another forces the rooster into the mouth. Based on the complaint, police registered a case under sections 3 and 11(1)(a), 11(1)(l) of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA), 1960 and section 429 of Indian Penal Code.
“Bulls used for jallikattu endure immense fear and pain during training and participation. Many bulls even lose their lives,” Prasanna told TNIE.
Further, he claimed that 38 bulls and 115 humans had died in the last six years in Tamil Nadu, adding more than 8,600 humans and 30 bulls were injured in the same period. “Since not all bull deaths and human injuries would have been reported, these figures are likely vast underestimated,” he added.
The PFCI also warned that forcing a herbivorous animal to consume raw meat puts it at the risk of Salmonella poisoning.