Vijay, Surya support the protest against ban on Jallikattu

Tollywood stars Ilayathalapathy Vijay and Surya have weighed in to the ongoing protest against the ban on Jallikattu.

Terming this bull-taming sport as an identity of the Tamils, Vijay released a video message on January 17, which got more than 23 thousand retweets and was liked by more than 40 thousand people.

The 45-second video message says, "A law is always created for the welfare of people, especially, to safeguard their culture and tradition, and not to take them away. Jallikattu is the identity of the Tamils. I bow down before all the youngsters, who have been protesting in support of Jallikattu, without any political affiliation. I would be happy if the arrested people are released and PETA is sent back home."

On the other hand, superstar Surya, during the promotions of his upcoming movie 'Singham 3,' hailed the protestors and said that PETA may have won the case in the court of the law, but it has lost in the people's court, which is reflecting the prevailing mood of Tamil Nadu.

In a statement, he said, "Their claim that Jallikattu is inimical to bulls is full of lies. They talk about cruelty to bulls but they don't realise that by banning Jallikattu, they are aiding in the extinction of rare cattle breed."

Many other celebrities, like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Chiyaan Vikram and others have also extended their support, which has given a fillip to the ongoing protest, held on the Marina beach in Chennai.

The protesters sought the banning of PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals), an animal rights organization, after it issued a statement that read, the purpose of this festival is to thank the nature, which cannot be achieved by tormenting bulls and causing injuries and deaths to people and bulls.

For the unversed, Jallikattu is a bull taming event, typically practiced in Tamil Nadu, as a part of Pongal celebrations, which has been in existence for over 2,000 years.

Supreme Court, earlier in 2014, banned Jallikattu, on grounds of animal cruelty.

After the court rejected a plea to pass its verdict on Jallikattu before the Pongal festival, for the third year in a row, Tamil Nadu witnessed widespread protests, which dampened the festive spirit in the state, with the latest one being the huge gathering at the Marina beach, in support of the festival.