CHENNAI: Minister for Forests Dindigul C Seenivasan on Thursday turned down a request from an AIADMK MLA for permission for rabbit hunting as part of the celebrations during the Tamil month Maasi in some parts of Madurai and other southern districts.
Seenivasan advised the legislator to make the celebrations a vegetarian affair.
During the question hour in the Assembly, P Periyapullan, MLA representing Melur constituency, said during the Tamil month Maasi, after the Shivaratri festival, people in many parts of the southern districts used to go for ‘Pari vettai’ (rabbit hunting) to sacrifice them to their family deity (Kula Deivam). But forest officials have stopped this practice citing rules. He said people deem their inability to perform ‘Pari Vettai’ as a ‘Deiva Kutham’ (offence to the family deity).
Periyapullan said the people hunt rabbits in the plains and not in the forest areas and urged the minister to allow it by relaxing the rules.
The minister replied that the legislator had asked for something which cannot be allowed since killing wild animals is a violation of the law. “Periyapullan should advise the people to make their prayers a vegetarian affair without killing the wild animals,” the minister said.