Click to play videoMadurai: It's a rebellion in the villages in Tamil Nadu. A one-day fast was organised as an initial protest to the Supreme Court's ban on the state’s traditional sport – jallikattu.
Close to 300 people joined the daylong fast in Aranganallur in Madurai, the village that's home to the famous sport, and locals say they will step up their protest if the ban is not revoked.
“Supreme Court must allow jallikattu to take place. If not, all the villagers will give in their ration cards and voter IDs to the Collector,” a jallikattu enthusiast V Prabhu said.
While other villagers like S Kaavya threatened, “If jallikattu doesn't take place, our villages will be hit by diseases like cholera and diarrhoea. Jallikattu must take place, until then our protests will continue.”
Politicians in the state, too, are making the most of the people's frustration. Leader of the Dalit Panthers of India, Thol Thirumalavan said, “If the Supreme Court doesn't revoke the ban and allow jallikattu to take place, if the people permit, I will ensure that jallikattu happens."
The state government has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court to reconsider the ban on the sport. Meanwhile, with only four days to go for the D-day when jallikattu traditionally takes place, security in Madurai has been stepped up.
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