From film stars to IT workers, multiple voices lend weight

CHENNAI: Pro-jallikattu chants on the Marina over the last four days echoed across the city on Friday, as residents took to the streets by the thousand to voice their protest.Even after chief minister O Panneerselvam assured the people that jallikattu will be given the green signal in a day or two, crowds began to swell across the city by evening, many of them in a celebratory mood, cheering all the way .It wasn't just the roads leading to the Marina that resonated with slogans, but just about every street too. While OMR was flooded with IT professionals sporting placards and raising black flags, anti-establishment slogans were raised on many arterial roads.
“Today they say we kill our bulls in the name of jallikattu, tomorrow they will say we are killing silk worms for Kanchipuram silks,“ said K Sarala, decked in a traditional sari with her grandson in tow wielding a placard at the Anna Arch. It wasn't just ordinary people who raised their voice. Gov ernment staff at Fort St George joined the chorus during the lunch hour, taking out a march to the Marina.
More than 600 Kilpauk Medical College students formed a human chain for two hours on their campus. Similar scenes were witnessed around other college campuses. By 5pm, the Change.org received 126 petitions related to the ban. Of these, 114 petitions to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest and the Prime Minister's Office were signed by more than 5 lakh supporters of the sport. At the other end, 12 petitions to the Animal Welfare Board of India, PeTA India and the environment ministry had 86,000 signatures.While the pro-jallikattu camp called themselves animal lovers, their rivals identified themselves as “animal activists“.
DMK working president M K Stalin spearheaded a rail roko at Mambalam railway station and some of his colleagues held protests in Madurai and Arakkonam. Stalin, former Union minister Dayanidhi Maran, Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi and thousands of DMK workers were detained by police as soon as they staged the protest.
Several film stars including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Ajith, Suriya and Dhanush others staged a silent protest at the South Indian Artistes' Association headquarters at T Nagar.Movie halls remained shut while Tamil film unions, including the technicians, directors and producers associations also extended support. Actor Silambarasan, who in a video last week urged Tamils across the world to come out in protest, was missing. The headquarters on Habibullah Road was shut for TV crews, in an effort to keep the spotlight on student protests.