Jallikattu: Violence as India bullfight protest intensifies

Protesters burnt vehicles during Monday's protests

Protesters in southern India have set several vehicles on fire in support of a controversial bull-taming festival.

The incidents of arson in Tamil Nadu state come a day after two people died during the sport, known as jallikattu. It was banned by the Supreme Court in 2014. But the government temporarily allowed the festival on Saturday, after large-scale protests.

Jallikattu sees bulls released into a crowd of people who try to ride the animals

Police are clearing protest sites, but about 5,000 remain in the state's capital, Chennai (Madras). BBC Tamil reported that protesters were refusing to leave the city's iconic Marina beach.

Police have been clearing protest sites

It added that the police had cordoned off the area, and all roads leading to the beach had been blocked. Some protesters also reportedly clashed with police officials in Madurai city.

Many in Tamil Nadu are against the ban as they see jallikattu as an important part of their cultural heritage

Railway authorities also cancelled 19 passenger trains on Sunday, fearing protests on the tracks.
Meanwhile, several villages and towns in Tamil Nadu held jallikattu events on Sunday, attracting huge crowds.

Subduing angry bulls has long been practised in the state as a sport and is a key part of the harvest festival.

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The court had banned jallikattu on the grounds that it was cruel to animals. Animal rights activists say the spectacle causes unnecessary stress to the bulls who are released into a crowd and forced to fend off people trying to ride them.

Many in Tamil Nadu, however, are against the ban as they see jallikattu as an important part of their cultural heritage, and also say it ensures the preservation of native breeds of bulls.

In recent days large demonstrations have been staged in the state capital, Chennai, calling for the practice to be fully re-legalised.

Most ministers in the state government, including Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, as well as Tamil celebrities such as Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, support jallikattu.