India Prime Minister overturns bull-wrestling ban

22 Jan, 2017

An Indian state lifted a Supreme Court ban on a popular bull-wrestling festival on Saturday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered the event should be allowed to go ahead. Modi overturned the ban on the festival after massive protests in southern India by demonstrators who called the court's ruling an attack on their culture.
India's Supreme Court outlawed the bull-wrestling Jallikattu festival last year after a plea by animal rights groups, which have long accused participants in the event - held annually across southern Tamil Nadu state - of cruelty to the animals. Tensions have escalated in recent days with thousands of demonstrators gathering in state capital Chennai and other cities, demanding the ban on Jallikattu be lifted which they say is an attack on their culture and traditions.
The growing protests prompted Tamil Nadu's chief minister to travel to Delhi earlier this week to ask Modi to overturn the ban, which he did late Friday.
Tamil Nadu's governor then promulgated the executive order Saturday evening, paving the way for Jallikattu to resume on Sunday.

Read Comments