M A I N   N E W S

Hema wants ban on TN’s matador sport

New Delhi, July 1
Actress-turned-politician Hema Malini today joined animal lovers in demanding a ban on ‘jallikattu’, a bull-taming sport played in Tamil Nadu during Pongal celebrations, saying it violates the spirit of the law against torturing animals.

The Rajya Sabha MP has written to Minister of Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh on behalf of NGO People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urging him to make a “hugely positive impact for bulls by taking steps” to put an end to the sport.

Hema, who is from the state, says the bulls are kicked, punched, jumped on, and dragged to the ground, which is a violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

“Bulls in ‘jallikattu’ are terrorised for entertainment. They are surrounded by screaming crowds, jumped on, pushed, hit, teased and wrestled to the ground... investigations at ‘jallikattu’ events show that bulls are pulled roughly by nose rings, punched, pummeled, hit with sharp sticks and crammed into trucks so tightly that they can barely move,” Hema wrote in the letter.

“People expect our officials to uphold meaningful animal welfare standards and to protect citizens. I urge you to do so by taking steps towards ending Jallikattu without delay.”

This isn’t for the first time that Hema has teamed up with People for Ethical Treatment of Animals. In 2009, she sent a letter to the Mumbai Municipal Commissioner urging him to ban horse-drawn carriages in the city. — Agencies