Chennai: Ruling AIADMK chief Sasikala Natarajan in her letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has insisted that jallikattu has no cruelty for the bulls on the track; students have hit the road crying hoarse for the ‘sport of Tamil valour’ and even threatening to go ahead with it if the Supreme Court does not lift its ban; and, state politicians of all hues have scrambled onto the anti-ban bandwagon.
Still, the Animal Welfare Board of India, one of the stout campaigners for the ban, insists that jallikattu involves ‘terrible cruelty’ for the bulls charging down the track looking scared and confused trying to shake off the young robust men try to cling onto their humps while the crowds around scream.
“See those videos if you have not actually gone there to witness it. It’s wrong to say it’s just sport and there is no cruelty against the animals. They cannot say the animal is not terrified as it runs into the place to face a bunch of frenzied crowds who are jumping on it”, says Chinny Krishna, vice-chairman of the Animal Welfare Board of India.
“A sport must make all the participants to enjoy. Is it anybody’s argument that the poor animal is enjoying jallikattu? Or do they see the animal something like a ball in a cricket match that has no fear or feelings when it is hit all around the ground? This is ridiculous”, he told DC.
“I cannot comment on what the Supreme Court will pronounce finally, but I hope the court will stand its ground”, said the animal rights activist. “I am a proud Tamil and a Hindu; and my culture does not involve such cruelty to an animal”.
Mr Chinny Krishna recalled that the original case was filed in 2007 by one Nagaraja, whose son was killed in a Jallikattu event. He had pulled up the Governments of India and Tamil Nadu, as well as the Animal Welfare Board of India, asking how they could permit such events “knowing they endangered human life”.
