Chennai, Jan. 18 (PTI): Thousands of students gathered on the sands of Marina here on Wednesday as protests demanding the lifting of a court ban on the bull-taming sport Jallikattu snowballed across Tamil Nadu.

Faced with mounting anger on the streets, Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam decided to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday to press for an ordinance to allow the age-old sport, banned by the Supreme Court in 2014. All 51 members of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Parliament will accompany him.

Panneerselvam held a meeting with Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan, the state’s police chief T.K. Rajendran, and Chennai police chief S. George. He appealed to the students to give up their protests even as employees of the information technology sector and more actors from the local film industry joined the protests.

Earlier in the day, fisheries minister D. Jayakumar, school education minister K. Pandiarajan and senior police officers had met the students who had spent the night at Marina, but failed to persuade them to call off their protests.

The epicentre of protests appeared to have shifted to the capital with thousands of students and youths collecting on Marina beach, alleging that the ban reflected an anti-Tamil mindset.

Symbolic Jallikattu events, where bulls were let loose, were reported from Madurai, Sivaganga and Pattukottai.

Crowds continued to swell at Alanganallur and Tamukkam grounds in Madurai, the traditional base for the sport.

Protesters demanded that PeTA, the animal rights organisation, which had moved the Supreme Court against holding of the sport, be wound up.

Tension prevailed at Tamukkam grounds, with police foiling an attempt by three students to set themselves ablaze.

IT sector workers formed human chains and held protest meetings near their workplaces. Seven activists of a pro-Tamil outfit climbed the historic Pamban railway bridge in Rameswaram and held a dharna. When police tried to remove them, they threatened to jump into the sea and commit suicide if they were arrested.

In Kandipatti village in Sivaganga, a bull-chasing event was organised with a 100 bulls. When the police tried to disperse the participants, the protesters allegedly attacked them and damaged a police vehicle.

The president of the Farmers Joint Action Council, Deivasigamani, said in Thanjavur that the Centre should announce its decision on Jallikattu within 48 hours, or they would organise state-wide agitation on January 20.

In Madurai and surrounding regions, more than 20 traders organisations also announced closure of shops on January 20 if the ban on Jallikattu was not lifted.

(This report was updated at 7.15pm.)

 

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