JOIN USViolence broke out in several parts of Tamil Nadu on Monday, hours before the Assembly passed a draft law to bypass the Supreme Court ban on Jallikattu.
On Marina Beach here, the week-long, peaceful demonstration took a dramatic turn, with agitators clashing with the police in the afternoon.
The protesters were seeking a permanent law to allow the bull-taming sport, and a ban on People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the NGO that had filed a petition against it.
About 50 people, including students and security personnel, were injured in Chennai. Violence also broke out in Madurai, Coimbatore, Trichy and Salem districts.
A special sitting of the Assembly unanimously passed a Bill in the evening to replace last week’s ordinance making the traditional sport legal. The Supreme Court had banned Jallikattu in response to a petition citing cruelty towards the bulls.
Introducing the Bill, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said it amends Section 2, 3, 11, 22, 27 and 28 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
Streets in Triplicane leading to Marina Beach looked like a battlefield, with security personnel chasing away protesters. After clamping prohibitory orders in Triplicane, police appealed to the people to stay indoors.
In Madurai, students attacked the police with sticks when they were told to disperse. They damaged several police vehicles and barricades. More than 100 people were arrested in Coimbatore, when they refused to leave the protest venue.
Violence was also reported in Alanganallur in Madurai, famous for its Jallikattu events. Police caned protesters at the site where Jallikattu was called off on Sunday.
As demonstrations showed no signs of abating in the morning, police began evicting protesters from Marina Beach. Students arguing with the police continued to raise pro-Jallikattu slogans and moved their base to the sea shore.
About 500 students rushed into the sea, with the police trying to pull them back to the shore. When the situation seemed under control, youths spilled on to the streets and started pelting stones, damaging two-wheelers, cars and the glass fronts of several shops.