Jallikattu ban: 200 held in Madurai as protests continue across Tamil Nadu

Protests against the ban on the bull-taming sport Jallikattu have continued across Tamil Nadu since the Supreme Court’s refusal to pass a verdict ahead of Pongal, the state’s harvest festival

More than 200 people were detained by police on Tuesday as protests over a ban on the popular bull-taming sport Jallikattu continued across Tamil Nadu.

A participant tackles a bull during the annual Jallikattu festival in Palemedu, near Madurai. (AP file photo)

The fresh protests were reported from Alanganallur in Madurai district, the nerve centre of Jallikattu which was banned by the Supreme Court in 2014 and subsequently upheld.

The crowd had gathered overnight from different parts of the state, demanding an ordinance allowing the sport that is an integral part of Pongal, the state’s harvest festival.

Four temple bulls were used on Monday morning to conduct the sport, before local police stopped the celebrations.

Thousands of people are staging protests across the state since last week when the top court refused to pass a verdict on Jallikattu before Pongal.

On Monday, too, people took to the streets in Alanganallur where people hoisted black flags on their homes and kept their shops closed as a mark protest against the ban.