Madurai: Normal life was severely affected in Palamedu, a panchayat town in Madurai district, in response to a day-long bandh in protest against the ban on ‘Jallikattu’ (Taming of Bulls) event by the Apex Court, on Friday.
The bandh call was given by ‘Palamedu Mahalingasamy Podhu Madathu Committee’ that conducts the famous Jallikattu event every year in Palamedu, as part of the harvest festival of Pongal.
As many as 300 shops and commercial establishments downed shutters while private buses, taxis and auto rickshaws went off the road in support of the strike.
The dejected residents hoisted black flags atop their houses and observed what they termed as ‘black day.’
Talking to newsmen, N.Sathyamoorthy, Secretary of the Committee, appealed to Tamilnadu government to appeal for a review in the Supreme Court (SC).
He said Jallikattu is part of the tradition and culture of rural Tamil Nadu and failure to hold the event will incur divine wrath and cause an epidemic in the village.
He urged Chief Minister J Jayalalitha to take legal steps to ensure the ancient bravery sports of Tamils continued in the state.
Meanwhile, the people of Alanganallur have decided to observe a day’s bandh on Saturday to protest against SC verdict.
Alanganallur hosts the world-renowned Jallikattu, which attracts considerable number of foreign tourists.
Jallikattu has become a controversial event since 2007 when animal welfare activists took the matter to the court on the ground that the taming of bulls amounted to cruelty to animals.
In January 2008, when the SC banned the event, many organizations in the State had threatened to defy the apex court order triggering furore in South Tamil Nadu.
The SC reversed its decision in a couple of days after then DMK regime expressed apprehension in an affidavit before the SC that the ban on the event might trigger unrest across the State, particularly in the southern districts of Tamilnadu.
The state government contended that Jallikattu was linked to the religious sentiments of the people and pleaded to lift the ban. (UNI)