With the protests demanding conduct of jallikattu gaining momentum, the district police is on high alert.
“The police will implement whatever is the legal position on jallikattu,” said a senior police officer.
Stating that as of now Supreme Court has banned the event, he said that areas in Alanganallur and Palamedu, that are famous for jallikattu, were under close surveillance. Adequate police strength has been deployed.
The police are also gearing up to deploy additional strength and intelligence mechanism has been intensified to keep a vigil on bull rearers and tamers.
In the last two years, the police had issued notice to bull-tamers appealing them to keep their animals indoors and not let them to participate in any jallikattu event as it was illegal since the Supreme court had banned it.
Meanwhile, over road blockades were reported at Nagari, Kottampatti in Madurai rural district and in Avaiyur in Virudhunagar district.
The police said that scores of villagers blocked the Madurai-Dindigul highway at Nagari junction at around 9 am. When the police asked them to disperse, a few students started pelting stones.
The police said that a policeman, Bharathi, who was videographing was injured and was admitted to the Government hospital in Sholavandan. The windscreen of a Government bus proceeding to Tiruppur was smashed.
The police arrested eight persons who were booked under the provisions of Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act.
At Pallapatti some 200 villagers, including women blocked the Tiruchi highway.
Meanwhile, around 600 students from various colleges took out a procession from Gandhi Museum up to Race Course demanding to lift the ban on jallikattu.
