Madurai: Cops lathi-charge Alanganallur youth for jallikattu

Madurai: Life in Alanganallur, known globally for its jallikattu, came to a standstill Monday as police fortified the village with a strong presence forcing all business establishments to be closed while allowing only a couple of teashops to quench their own thirst.

At least 20 people sustained injuries when the police used force against those youngsters who attempted to release bulls on a main road located near Vadivasal in the town. The police arrested nearly 50 persons in connection with the incident.

The protesters who sat near the arena refused to give up their agitation till late at night and the villagers were trying to pacify them. The police justified their action stating they acted with restraint even while using force to maintain law and order in town, but the youths called it ‘police high-handedness’.

“Some might have behaved in unruly manner, but that doesn’t warrant the police to unleash violence against peaceful protesters,” said actor Abi Saravanan, who also sustained a minor injury in the attack.

The actor and his friends were hurt in the lathi-charge when they were marched towards the venue. Many students who sustained injuries in the attack escaped into nearby agriculture fields for protection. “Is expressing our feeling through a protest to safeguard our tradition a violent act,” asked a group of college students showing the bruises on their bodies.

The authorities cancelled all bus services to the village. As the police also erected check posts and barricades in all the five mains routes to Alanganallur, thousands of youths who thronged from various places, were prevented from reaching the town.

“When the police stopped us at a check post near Madurai, we were shocked to find that they have detained 40 people from Puducherry who came to Alanaganallur,” claimed a group of students from Thirumanagalam on the request of anonymity.

As the police had reportedly not arranged food for themselves, the students brought them food before they left for the venue. The tense situation prevailed inside the town as police had been deployed on every street with a view to preventing the people from mobilising the bulls. The women who found it difficult even to reach their houses condemned the police for causing them such inconvenience.