Thousands of people who had gathered at Marina Beach in Chennai in January for the resumption of Jallikkattu had brought the Central and State Governments to their knees making them resume the rural sport circumventing the 2014 Supreme Court ban.
At least 14 people have been gored to death by the charging bulls across Tamil Nadu since January 24 when the sport was resumed in the State.
Authorities may have to take a relook at Jallikkattu against the backdrop of the number of persons killed since it was resumed on January 24, 2017. Nobody has come forward to express a word of sorrow for those who met with gruesome end.
Tamil Nadu legislative Assembly passed the Jallikkattu Bill on January 23 which lifted the 2014 Supreme Court ban on the sport leading to its resumption after a gap of three years. Nearly 400 people, including tamers have been seriously injured at various places in the State. Four bulls too were killed in different places in the State.
No solatium has been announced to the family members of the deceased or to those who were seriously injured in Jallikkaatu. While the villagers of Thankachimadom in Ramanathapuram are staging a demonstration against the killing of a fisherman allegedly by Sri lanka Navy on Monday, nobody has come forward to fight for the 14 people who met with gruesome death in different parts of the State in Jallikkattu events during the last 45 days.
The death of 14 people, all hailing from poor families, has evoked no response either from the State or district administrations. In all the cases, the spectators or tamers were gored by the ferocious and untamed bulls to death. Sources in the State administration said there is no provision to provide cash compensation to those who lost their lives or seriously injured during the sport.
Those opposed to Jallikkattu live in fear and were not willing to speak anything openly about these deaths. A widely respected scholar in Tamil Nadu history said the historicity of the sport need to be discussed and studied.
“There are no archaeological or historical documents to substantiate the historicity of the sport. The Tamil Nadu Government and Union Government were pressurised by vested interests to circumvent the Supreme Court verdict which banned the sport,” said the scholar who does not want his name to be quoted.
The threats being issued by the secessionists and anti-national forces have made many people who argued against Jallikkattu leave the State in search of safe places. “We were against the ever growing number of fatal accidents happening during Jallikkattu. This event has to be banned as there is no justification in holding a sport which is detrimental to man as well as animal,” said a leading figure in the fight against Jallikkattu.
She also pointed out that while Jallikkattu was resumed under the pretext of saving the native breed of bulls, everyday hundreds of cows continue to be transported from Tamil Nadu to slaughter houses in neighbouring Kerala.