Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

On jallikattu

The Supreme Court gave conditional permission to the Tamil Nadu government to hold jallikattu (bull-taming) during Pongal, after eliciting an assurance that the bulls would not be tortured and steps would be taken to prevent injuries to participants and spectators. But did the implementation of the guidelines succeed in preventing injuries to participants and onlookers in Alanganallur and Palamedu? Jallikattu cannot in any way be termed as an act of valour. When we have got rid of so many social evils, which were also deeply rooted in custom, why should we continue with jallikattu?

B. Harish,

Mangalore

The court’s permission, within days of banning the sport, is surprising. What was the hurry to give the verdict? It could have taken a year’s time and let the ban continue this year. When both the government and the judiciary are keen on preventing cruelty to animals, why allow jallikattu?

R. Ramachandran,

Chennai

The court’s acts of admitting a petition to ban jallikattu, refusal to vacate the stay on the High Court verdict permitting it, and then lifting the ban were a waste of precious time and encroachment into the executive domain. The bulls that participate in jallikattu are 10 to 15 times heavier and healthier than the young men who attempt to tame them, risking their lives. They are not killed as is done in the Spanish bullfight. The men try to hold on to the humps. Once one of them gets a hold, the others lay off till he succeeds or falls off. It is a matter of minutes for the bull to break free. Unlike these lucky bulls, the other bulls get yoked day after day, and are driven to drag carts or plough fields. Why don’t animal enthusiasts demand a ban on the yoking of bullocks?

V.S. Karuppannan,

Namakkal

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On jallikattu

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