Uphold the ban on Jallikattu, urges actors, cricketers

A slew of actors and cricketers including National Award Winner Vidya Balan and Test Captain Virat Kohli have signed a petition seeking upholding the ban against the bull-taming sport of Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu.
The celebrities have signed a petition by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) calling on the government to uphold the ban, the animal rights advocacy group said in a release.
The petition recalled the Supreme Court banning Jallikattu, bullfights, bull races and other uses of bulls in performances last year but said that Central government was reportedly planning to amend The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, to allow these 'cruel spectacles' to take place once again.

During Jallikattu, terrified bulls were "deliberately" disoriented, chased, kicked, punched, jumped on, dragged to the ground and stabbed, the petition alleged, adding people, including spectators, have been seriously injured and even killed in these events.
"For the sake of animal welfare and human safety, we, the undersigned, urge the government to keep bulls protected by upholding the ban on Jallikattu, bullfights, bull races and other uses of bulls in performances," the signatories said in the petition.
Those who had signed the petition were actors Vidya Balan, John Abraham, Sonu Sood, Vidyut Jammwal, Sonakshi Sinha, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bipasha Basu, Raveena Tandon-Thadani, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Kapil Sharma, Amy Jackson, Athiya Shetty and Richa Chadha.

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Meanwhile, "Mattu Pongal", third day of Pongal festivities where people offer prayers to the bulls, cows and other farm animals, was celebrated with fervour and special poojas were performed to some temple bulls at Palamedu.
After offering to the local deity, pongal (sweet rice made of jaggery with rice and milk, in a traditional mud pot) was fed to the bulls, some of which take part in the bull taming sport, by Jallikattu supporters.
Police had been posted in large numbers in Palamedu village to prevent untoward incidents.
There was a flutter as some bulls were released on the road and some youths raised slogans hailing Jallikattu.

Police said releasing bulls on the road was a common practice followed during the Mattu Pongal celebrations.
Police refuted claims by some youths that the sport had been held defying the apex court ban.
They said attempts to conduct the sport were foiled and some persons detained.