Protestors caned in Madurai

In Madurai most of the protests were organised by students. Traders too participated by lowering the shutters. College students assembled in large numbers in front of Tamil Annai statue at Tamukkam grounds and started a rally after garlanding the statue. They rallied via Madurai GRH and reached Tiruvalluvar statue near Madurai Collectorate. 

They shouted slogans against PETA and demanded the Centre to ban them. They raised slogans claiming that jallikattu was part of Tamil culture and demanded the government to conduct the event. When a group of students were about to finish their road roko they were joined by another group from Law College. The combined students force tried to cross the police barricade but cops foiled their attempt by resorting to lathi-charge. 

However, the persistent students managed to cross the barricades and reached the entrance of the Collectorate where they sat in protest and demanded the Collector to come out and listen to their demand. Students of Government Arts College, Melur, also staged protest inside the college. Shop owners downed shutters expressing support for jallikattu. 

More than 50 villages near Melur observed a shutdown expressing their solidarity. Road-rokos were witnessed in Thirunagar near Tiruparankundram and Vadipatti where youngsters and college students participated. 

Students of Madurai Kamaraj University too staged protest inside the University campus. Protests were witnessed at Avaniyapuram, Kalavasal and Thanichiyam areas too and youth came to forefront to stage protests. In the meantime, Madurai CoP Shailesh Kumar Yadav issued stern warning to college students for holding protests without permission. Similar protests by law students were also held in Puducherry.

NIT Tiruchy students staged a massive rally in support of jallikattu along with the students from various colleges and staged demonstration against the Centre and PETA in front of the Collectorate here on Wednesday. The students blocked vehicle movement on the Collectorate premises and the police led by the Deputy Commissioner held talks with the students.