The week-long Jallikattu agitation, which was allegedly hijacked by anti-national elements, was on Monday forcibly called off by police as the protest turned violent. After the Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously passed a Bill to make the rural sport legal in the State, police forcibly evicted the protesters.
It turned out to be a Black Monday in TN as the State woke up to see violent protests, which had been peaceful till Sunday. The protesters waged pitched battles with the police.
On Marina Beach, police action began early in the morning with roads to the beach being cordoned off and police personnel being deployed in large numbers.
Some protesters lined up at the seashore forming a human chain and a group entered the water refusing to heed police requests to disperse.
Some staged a sit-in on the sands while others regrouped in nearby areas, shouting slogans and throwing stones at the policemen.
Police burst teargas shells and resorted to lathicharge to chase away a section of protesters who had regrouped at Triplicane near Marina Beach and started throwing stones at police personnel.
“Early in the morning, we had told the representatives of the demonstrators that their demand for bringing an Ordinance to stage Jallikattu had been met by the State Government and now it was time for them to disperse from Marina Beach. But they were adamant, and began pelting stones at the police,” said Balakrishnan, Deputy Comm-issioner of Police, Triplicane.
A Constable was injured in the stone pelting and this resulted in police using mild force to disperse the mob. “Thrice we requested them to disperse. But they were joined by more protesters and people from the neighbouring fishing hamlets. Some of the youth ran towards the sea with the intention of jumping into the sea which would have resulted in casualties,” said Balakrishnan. By Monday evening, nearly hundred people, including policemen were admitted to various hospitals in Chennai with minor injuries incurred during the pelting of stones, bursting of
teargas shells and lathicharge.
The social media which played a crucial role in the massive demonstration was full of tapped phone conversations between demonstrators and their supporters. One of the calls, which went viral had the caller pleading with his friend to send as many volunteers as possible to Marina Beach as they were being outnumbered by police.
Meanwhile, a group of demonstrators set fire to police vehicles parked outside the nearby Ice House police station. According to bystanders, the demonstrators threw petrol bombs at the vehicles that led to the fire that engulfed the police station building. Cops, including policewomen trapped inside the station building, were saved by the timely intervention of the fire brigade.
Uma Anandan, a Jallikattu activist, said since Sunday night, anti-national elements had taken control of the demonstration. “People who came to Marina Beach with the national flag were beaten up by the anti-social and Jehadi elements. They were heard shouting anti-India slogans, resembling scenes from Kashmir,” said Anandan.
A senior police officer told The Pioneer that the agitation has been hijacked by radical left-wing groups, Tamil separatists, Islamic fundamentalists and various NGOs.
“What is perplexing is that Jallikattu described as a Hindu festival of bull worshipping, is being supported by Islamic organisations.
This is a ploy to divert the attention of the gullible people,” said an Intelligence official.
Marina Beach and the roads leading to Beach Road wore the look of a battle zone with burnt vehicles, damaged barricades and broken bottles lying scattered all over the area. The Pioneer had been reporting since Friday that the agitation has lost direction and focus and anti-national elements had hijacked the leadership of the demonstration.
RK Raghavan, former CBI Director, who belonged to the TN cadre of the IPS, told The Pioneer that extremist and lumpen elements had infiltrated into the demonstration as well as agitation. “No doubt, it was a spontaneous manifestation of public anger which led to the massive demonstration, hitherto unheard of and unseen in the State. But the police did a wonderful job in defusing the situation on Monday as conventional policing system of the 1960s and 1970s would have led to disastrous results,” said Raghavan.
The crowd of students, numbering nearly 1,000, at Marina Beach was yet to disperse at the time of going to Press. Eminent personalities like Hariparanthaman and K Chandru, both retired judges of the Madras High Court with known CPI(M) leanings, Raghav lawrence and Balaji, film actors were in discussion with the students to make them disperse.
Companies of paramilitary forces like the CRPF have been kept ready for deployment in the eventuality of any emergencies even as more than 12,000 policemen stand guard in Chennai city. A fast interceptor boat and a helicopter belonging to the Coast Guard have been deployed along the Chennai coast line for surveillance.