Madurai: Hundreds of people, mostly youths, took out a procession through main thoroughfares of the city pressing for lifting the ban on jallikattu on Tuesday evening.
The protesters assembled at Mattuthavani, near the Central Vegetable market at around 5 p.m. As time passed, the crowd swelled.
“I attended the protest that was coordinated by students over social media,” said 23-year-old Vignesh Selvan.
The youth involved in farming said that he participated in the meeting and the procession to drive home the point that the current issue of ban on jallikattu was not only about the milk market of the country.
“It is basically to break the self-reliance backbone of the farmers of the country,” Mr. Vignesh said.
The protesters who started the procession at around 6.50 p.m. wound through the Melur Main Road, Alagarkoil Road (Periyar statue junction) and culminated outside Tamukkam ground. The procession threw the peak hour traffic out of gear. However, the police managed the situation by diverting road traffic.
Demonstrations were organised at different parts of the city in Kalavasal, Kattabommab statue junction, Anaiyur bus stand and Jhansi Rani park. The protesters demanded that the ban on jallikattu be lifted and banning of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals and release of all those protesters who were arrested in Alanganallur since Monday.
Similar protests were organised by different groups at Oomachikulam, Samayanallur, Tirumangalam bus stand, M. Chathrapatti.
