The Tamil Nadu government’s efforts to conduct Jallikattu on the strength of an ordinance promulgated on Saturday met with limited success as protesters rejected the celebrations demanding a permanent solution to the Supreme Court ban on the traditional sport.

Protesters at the hub of the bull-taming sport at Alanganallur in South Tamil Nadu prevented the conduct of the festival, which was to be inaugurated by Chief Minister O Panneerselvam. The Chief Minister, who said he would inaugurate the event at 10 am on Sunday, returned to Chennai stating that the ordinance allows the conduct of Jallikattu and the people of Alanganallur can do so whenever they feel like it.

Similar official events planned elsewhere also met with resistance. However, the event was conducted in a few places in Tiruchi and Pudukottai.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters State-wide rejected the State government’s move stating that an ordinance by the State is only a temporary solution. They demanded that the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act be amended by Parliament.

“We don’t need an ordinance, but a permanent solution to be able to hold Jallikattu every year,” said J Selvi, a student and native of Kumbakonam, who has been camping at the Marina beach, along with thousands of protesters. The beach has become the central venue for the demonstrations over the past week. Similar protests in various parts of Tamil Nadu are also seeing mass public participation.

‘An eyewash’

Sudhakar, a law student, said: “Jallikattu is Tamilians’ right. An ordinance is just an eyewash and a stop-gap solution to disperse us. However, we will not move from here till a permanent solution is found.”

Legal experts felt that a State ordinance or Act that runs contrary to a Central Act may not be effective. However, in interactions with the media, the Chief Minister asserted that the ordinance clears all hurdles to the conduct of Jallikattu, and it would be replaced with a law to be enacted in the Assembly session starting on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also assured the Centre’s support for the State government’s decision.

But the protesters have held their ground and demonstrations continued.

The Supreme Court had used the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 to ban the sport in 2014. Since then, the Court has stood firm and dismissed a review petition by the State government. It has reserved judgement on a notification by the Union Environment Ministry in January 2016 to get around the ban.

Trains cancelled

As a fallout of the demonstrations, the Railways has cancelled 19 express trains to southern parts of Tamil Nadu.

The protests started in a sporadic way last week with a few hundred gathering at the Marina beach in Chennai, in Madurai and elsewhere. But the movement, fuelled by social media, caught the imagination of the public, resulting in mass participation.

The ordinance was on Saturday passed by Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao, with the approval of President Pranab Mukherjee

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