From clamour to chaos

January 25, 2017 12:15 am | Updated 12:15 am IST

 

The ugly and violent end to the student-led protest in Tamil Nadu against the legal ban on jallikattu is shocking (“Jallikattu protests turn violent across Tamil Nadu”, Jan.24). The Tamil Nadu government owes us all an explanation for the way in which it grossly mismanaged the situation. There were also police excesses. It is strange why the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister did not find the time to visit Marina beach but could go to Alanganallur instead. When most of the students at the Marina requested the police to give them some time to study the amendment, why was there a hurry to evict them?

R.P.N. Padmanabhan,

Chennai

The brutal manner in which the police evicted the participants who had assembled peacefully at various sites across the State deserves to be condemned. What is worse is how a section of the police went about indulging in arson and damaging the property of people from the lowest strata. To now deflect the blame on “miscreants and anti-social elements” cannot erase the fact that atrocities were carried out against hapless people.

S.V. Venugopalan,

Chennai

The police acted with utmost restraint in the face of unreasonable defiance by frenzied pro-jallikattu protesters. Some of the protesters were seen acting in an aggressive manner with police officers. Television viewers will vouch for the fact that most of the policemen and women were seen moving around without lathis. It is strange how political parties are now pouncing on the police for doing what they were supposed to do. How can anyone support the gathering of lakhs of people for days on end demanding an instant solution to a issue caught in a web of judicial and legislative limitations? Sanitary conditions at Marina beach were also fast deteriorating.

 

M.R. Anand,

Chennai

Though the way the protests ended is an aberration, the movement is a case study by itself. Apolitical without a typical pyramid of a proper command and control set-up, it swiftly achieved its goal with the help of social media. Communication was swift and the arrangements, which included ensuring complete safety for women, were exemplary. This also leads us to believe that such movements would provide a platform for the common man to address challenges in a Gandhian way. One could see the whole-hearted participation of women and children as well which reiterates the belief that if people come together for a cause, any goal is achievable.

Murugan Sarangapani,

Chennai

The agitation would not have ended the way it did had the media not given it undue coverage, the public not blindly encouraged the protesters and the government stepped in earlier. Students have used social media for a wrong cause. Instead, they could have used it to exchange ideas to improve society as a whole. Tradition and culture should encompass compassion for animals.

R. Senchudar Tamizharuvi,

Coimbatore

The wave of protests is the proverbial last straw in the already battered image of the State. The poor handling of the floods last year which has cost the State crores of rupees of prospective investment, and the number of working days lost these past few months after natural disasters and the uncertain situation following the death of Jayalalithaa have sullied the image of the State as a conducive place to work in. Even “investor unfriendly” States such as Kerala and West Bengal are leading the race in attracting foreign investment. The protesters and their handlers should think about how the State is going to cope with the drought and other crises ahead. What is the use of “identity” and “pride” on an empty stomach?

Sharada Sivaram,

Chennai

The agitation itself was an exhibition of mob mentality. The students who professed to be an enlightened group did not even know the power of an ordinance. Their ignorance made them jump from one demand to another leaving even impartial observers disgusted by the direction in which the protest was heading. When a crowd is divided into sections and each one seeks a separate explanation, how is it possible for the government to have a coordinated approach to solve the problem?

V. Rajagopalan,

Chennai

We have burning issues such as agrarian distress following a failed monsoon. When such problems stare us in the face, why protest for a revival of jallikattu and demand an instant result? What about the final judgment from the Supreme Court?

Mani Nataraajan,

Chennai

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