Tamil Nadu govt permits Jallikattu events in state with Covid restrictions; issues SOP

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami led-AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday granted permission to hold Jallikattu in the state in January next year with certain restrictions. No more than 150 players will be allowed to participate in the bullfighting event, an official statement from the Tamil Nadu government said.

All the participants are required to get themselves tested in a government-approved laboratory and must submit a COVID-19 negative certificate. All the spectators are required to wear a mask and adhere to social distancing norms, the statement added.

What is Jallikattu?

Jallikattu is a traditional bull-chasing sport of Tamil Nadu which is organised during the harvest festival Pongal. The bull-taming events had in the past courted several controversies with stiff opposition from animal rights activists who alleged violence against bovines. In 2015 and the following year, the sport remained banned following a Supreme Court order in May 2014. The apex court had held Jallikattu as violative of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA Act), 1960.

However, in January 2017, widespread protests peaked across Tamil Nadu seeking nod for holding Jallikattu. All political parties, including the ruling AIADMK and main opposition DMK, supported the demand for permission to hold the sport. Amid continuing protests, Tamil Nadu Assembly on Jan 23, 2017, unanimously passed an amendment bill for conducting the bull-taming sport without any hindrances.

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The Bill to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act was unanimously adopted after members of all parties spoke welcoming it. The Bill defined Jallikattu as an event involving bulls and conducted from January to May and it includes similar events like 'Manjuviratu', 'Vadamadu' and 'Erudhuvidum' festivals. It exempted Jallikattu from the purview of the PCA Act, considering the "vital role of Jallikattu in preserving and promoting tradition and culture and ensuring the survival and continuance of native breeds of bulls."

The decision comes in the run-up to the Tamil Nadu assembly elections which are likely to be held in April-May 2021 along with elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Puducherry and Assam.

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(With PTI inputs)