Jallikattu Ban Lifted : BJP takes the bull by the horns

The year old ban on bull taming or running with bulls also known as Jallikattu is to be lifted by Central government; paving the way for the races to be held in Tamil Nadu around the harvest festival Pongal.

The central government on Thursday issued a notification permitting bulls to participate in the sport of Jallikattu while listing four conditions. These conditions specify that the event is held at a place permitted by the district collector or magistrate and that the race is held on a proper track not longer than two kilometres. It stipulates that the bulls are tested by the animal husbandry and veterinary department to ensure they are healthy and no drugs are administered. Finally, the race organizers must ensure there is no cruelty to Animals under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960.

Reacting to this news, both Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha and Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan said they were thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for lifting the ban on the sport. However animal rights activists and organizations are upset with this reversal citing this as a politically motivated appeasement to the states ahead of the upcoming elections.

Image Source: http://jallikattu.in/

Jallikattu is a sport where bulls are let loose and then young men try to race with them in an attempt to subdue or tame them. This event was cancelled last year for the first time citing cruelty to animals despite an earlier UPA ban in 2011 that went unimplemented.

This sport is not as extreme as Spanish bull fighting where animals are at times injured. Tamil historians claim the sport dates back to the second century AD and predates the Spanish matadors. Bulls are bred specifically for this sport, in fact many think the name sprung from the specific breed of cattle bred for this purpose which is known as “Jellicut”. Actually the term “Jallikattu” originates from the words “Jalli” and “Kattu”, meaning the silver or gold coins tied to the bulls’ horns.

However critics insist the bulls are mistreated in Jallikattu – by feeding them alcohol or inciting them by throwing chilli powder into their eyes. This makes them go wild when they are released from the holding pen and chased by people. As a result over 200 people have died from the sport in the last two decades.

The Animal Welfare Board of India took the case to the Supreme Court pleading for an outright ban on Jallikattu because of the cruelty to animals and the threat to public safety involved. In the May 2014 order the court directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests not to allow the bull races without prior notification from the AWBI. Last month the AWBI had said the stand on the races remains that it is illegal and it says it has not given the government any clearance to lift the ban currently. A spokesperson of the AWBI said the notification issued by the government was in fact violating the Supreme Court Order. PETA India also said that in a continuation of the campaign against the sport it will fight this matter in the apex court.