Motorists snaking through traffic near Valluvar Kottam, on Tuesday, were surprised to see two volunteers of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), one dressed as a bull, and the other as Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, and several others holding placards and asking people to say ‘no’ to jallikattu, the traditional bull-taming sport in Tamil Nadu.
Niranjan Shanmuganathan, a Peta activist, said, “Jallikattu is not restricted to the Pongal season alone. It is organised till May in some places like Dindigul and Madurai. In many places, Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu Act, 2009, is violated. We have noticed bulls being fed liquor forcibly to turn them more ferocious. We cannot justify cruelty against animals in the name of culture,” he said.
Peta has filed a case with the Madurai bench of Madras High Court seeking a ban on the sport.
