The controversial sport of Tamil Nadu, ‘jallikattu’, has been banned by the Supreme Court. The BJP gave a green signal which was then challenged and pulled down by the Supreme Court. The Apex court has various reasons for ban of the game.
The bull-taming sport, also known as ‘Manju Virattu’ has been part of the Pongal celebrations of Tamil Nadu for ages. The villages specially breed the bulls for the event. It is mainly the Temple bulls that take part in this event. The bull baiting was a common tradition among the ancient tribes that specially lived in the ‘Mullai’ region of the state. Emerging over time and evolving, it became a sport for showing off bravery and also for entertainment prize money was introduced to the winner.
‘Jallikattu’ amalgamation of the Tamil words ‘jalli’, which means silver or gold coins, and ‘kattu’ meaning tying to the horns of the bulls. Whichever bull wins will get all the prize money and also the coins that are tied to the horns.
The game involves the bull being released from the enclosure and people trying to gain control over the animal. In between 2010-14 there were as many as 1,100 injuries and 17 deaths during this sporting events. Over the last two decades more than 200 people died on the field in the event. Also, every year several bulls are injured and there are multiple animal deaths. The SC keeping in mind the brutality of the game, animal and human alike imposed a ban on the game.
