No jallikattu held in Tirupur

Expressing solidarity with jallikattu, and rekla race, and stressing the importance of preserving native cattle breeds, 21 organisations came together to exhibit native ‘Kangayam cattle breed’ and performed pujas on the foothills of Alagumalai temple here on Tuesday.

They voiced their protest against the stand taken by various animal welfare organisations against the use of cattle in traditional sports like jallikattu, and rekla race.

Though they came out with handbills claiming to conduct jallikattu in Tirupur district for the first time, they eventually restricted the event to the display of Kangayam cattle, perform puja, and shout slogans against those support ban on jallikattu, and rekla race.

Thooran Nambi, coordinator of the event, termed the ban on jallikattu, and rekla race an ‘international conspiracy’ to destroy the native cattle breeds.

“We took the decision not to hold jallikattu as nothing should be done against the law. Our demand is that necessary amendments should be made by the Union Government to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and ensure native cattle breeds could be used in specific traditional sports,” said Karthikeya Senapathy of the Senapathy Kangayam Cattle Research Foundation, which was part of the event.

Superintendent of Police, E. S. Uma, said that the organisers had obtained prior permission from the police only for display of cattle, and perform puja, and not for jallikattu as mentioned in any of the handbills they distributed.