Kamal questions police role in evicting Jallikattu protesters

CHENNAI: Popular Tamil actor Kamal Haasan said he was shocked by the videos of police hurting protestors and vandalising public property and said he hoped they were actors, a day after tweeting that aggressive police action on students was a mistake.

Tamil Nadu chief minister O Pannerselvam should have gone to Marina to convince the protestors, said Kamal adding that, "Former CMs have handled similar situation differently. Jail bharo movement fizzled out as Rajaji asked to stop police by taking any action. M G Ramachandran would have laid down a cot on the opposite side if he was not allowed inside".

Citing French author Albert Camus, he said, "The reason I kept away from it was because I did not want to steal the limelight, not because I was scared".

Responding to questions on entry into electoral politics, he said that he would make political statements every now and then, but will not enter into electoral politics, "I don’t want to be coloured as a party man, but I do not mind taking the colour of the movement".

The 62-year-old film star also suggested he was against the concept of banning anything - be it Jallikattu or films and the backed regulation as no law is infallible. He however said that he was not qualified to comment on calls to ban animal welfare organisation PETA which is legally fighting to ban Jallikattu

Placing his trust on the people as political crisis has always been there, he said that the success of the recent protests is evident in the fact that parents themselves encouraged their children to participate in them, unlike 1965 anti-Hindi agitations.