Kovai protesters turn away minister

The strong protests from youth, students and families surprised the nearly 600 strong police personnel on Sunday as they assembled there as spectators. The efforts of the Minister and district administration officials failed to pacify the agitating people. 

The Minister was forced to leave the place through the backstage. After the ordinance gave the nod for conducting jallikattu and other bull races, the government along with Tamil Nadu Rekla Club jointly organised the first race in the city on Sunday. It was announced that the event would begin soon after the Chief Minister inaugurates jallikattu at Alanganallur or Natham. 

Since jallikattu could not be conducted at those two places because of the continuing protests, the organisers decided to start the event in Coimbatore at 11 am. Close to 1,500 people had come to see the bulls speeding through the CODISSIA Road and on the Avinashi Road. After a formal speech by the Minister the race was flagged off. 

Three pairs of bulls slowly crossed the barricaded race track making it look like a mock event. The police found two youth aged about 25 to 30 years trying to get close to the Minister and detained them. On seeing them being taken away from the place in police jeep the protesters raised slogans and staged a demonstration. 

A clash was about to erupt as a few AIADMK cadre started playing the drums calling the event a success. Protesters and party men were engaged in a heated argument, as the fourth and last pair of bulls ran on the track. They pulled down the barricades and sat on the road bringing the event to an abrupt end.  Efforts by the Minister, District Collector T N Hariharan and City Police Commissioner A Amalraj to pacify the crowd and allow the race went in vain. 

After a long time, an AIADMK functionary started proposing the vote of thanks. The Minister took the mike from him and continued to thank the youth and other protesters who were instrumental in conducting the sports (jallikattu and rekla race) that were banned for close to three years. 

Velumani’s claim that the event was a success infuriated the protesters and they started picketing on the stage forcing the Municipal Administration Minister to leave the venue through a road behind the stage.  

The protesters left only after ensuring that the stage was completely dismantled from the venue. They tore the banners put up in the venue of the rekla race and returned to VOC Ground where thousands were protesting in Coimbatore for the last six days.

The two youth who were detained by the police at rekla race venue in Coimbatore said that they had come with hundred others to stop the government event. “We wanted to make a representation to the Minister to hold the event after the ordinance get passed as a Bill in the Assembly. But the police picked us for questioning, took us to the Peelamedu police station, inquired us for some time and dropped us back at the rekla race venue. We are heading back to the protest ground,” one of them told DTNext.

K R Tharini (19) a second year college student from Karumathampatti, her sister Pooonkuzhali (28), brother Vijayakumar (36) and their mother Malliga (53) were among the families who took the police by surprise at the race venue. While the police who were particular that protesters do not reach the venue assumed that they and others like them had come to witness the event. But they tricked the police and sat in protest with the youth. “We were protesting at VOC Park for the last four days and came to stop the event here,” Tharini said.