With just a few days left for the auspicious Pongal festival to be celebrated in Tamil Nadu, protests are being held across the stated, to seek permission for conducting Jallikattu, which is a traditional sport of Tamil Nadu during the pongal festival.
Members of the Rashtriya Hindu Parishad organisation today petitioned the district collector T. N. Hariharan, seeking permission to conduct traditional sports like Jallikattu. The petitioners visited the collector's office in a bullock cart carrying the bull used in this sport along with them. The protestors also conducted Seval Sandai in the collector office premises.
The protestors said that “Jallikattu and the traditional sports are banned for destroying the culture of Tamil Nadu. The state and the central governments should take efforts for conducting the sports. We will conduct Jallikattu, Rekhla race and Seval kattu despite the ban” they said.
Police stopped the protesters who came in bullock carts. However, the protestors met the collector and presented their petition.