As the chorus for an ordinance to hold the banned bull-taming sport Jallikattu this week grows louder in Tamil Nadu, animal rights groups today wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee and the Centre, arguing against any such possible move.
People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which has come under criticism from Jallikattu supporters in the state and Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) have written to Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave in this regard, PETA said in a statement.
"In the letters, PETA and FIAPO note that Jallikattu is illegal according to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960; the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's 2011 ban on the use of bulls in performances and a 2014 Supreme Court judgement," PETA said in a release.
"PETA also notes that issuing an ordinance to allow the spectacle may be considered unconstitutional and an inappropriate use of power," it said.
PETA also said it has written to the Tamil Nadu government, calling for the enforcement of the ban on the sport.
"If miscreants were to enter Lord Shiva's temple and desecrate Nandi's idol, people would not stand for it," PETA India CEO Poorva Joshipura said, adding "so why should we support the abuse of living bulls".
Meanwhile, FIAPO Director Varda Mehrotra said: "No culture promotes violence, least of all towards animals. Moreover, bovines have always been revered in the Indian culture.
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"Article 51A(g) of the Constitution makes it the mandate of every Indian citizen to 'protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures'," Joshipura wrote in her letter to the President, urging him to not promulgate any ordinance that allows bull races, jallikattu and bullfights.
She said recently, a Supreme Court bench consisting of justices Dipak Misra and Rohinton Fali Nariman dismissed the review petition filed by Tamil Nadu against the May 7, 2014 verdict.
"This means the use of bulls in cruel spectacles such as jallikattu, bull races, and bullfights continues to be illegal," Joshipura wrote.
There has been a growing chorus for holding Jallikattu, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Centre to consider promulgating an ordinance to enable the conduct of the sport.
AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala has also written a letter to the Prime Minister, noting that the ban on the bull taming sport had caused "resentment" in the state.
PETA had also met BJP chief Amit Shah last year and also submitted a petition urging him not to allow Jallikattu.
In the letters shot off to Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan and DGP T K Rajendran, PETA called for enforcement of the ban on jallikattu.
Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) inspection reports of numerous jallikattu events between 2012 and 2014, which were conducted under government rules and regulations, proved that no amount of regulation can prevent the unnecessary suffering of the bulls used, the letter said.
"Bulls sustained broken bones, and two even died during these events... The animals become so frightened that they slip, fall, run into barriers and traffic, and even jump off cliffs, so desperate are they to escape," they wrote in the letter.
"In just four years, from 2010 to 2014, the media reported that 17 people died and approximately 1,100 injuries to humans resulted from cruel and dangerous jallikattu-type events. Since these figures were taken from media reports currently available online, the actual figure is likely higher," they wrote in the letter.
