Krishnagiri (TN): The Hosur-Bengaluru highway on Thursday morning witnessed severe traffic jams as thousands of people blocked the road to protest against the district administration after permission was denied to conduct bull sport, a traditional event following Pongal where bulls and oxen are let loose on village streets and are chased by villagers.
As many as 16 police officials were injured after the protestors pelted stones at them and government vehicles. The administration had earlier granted permission to conduct the local bull-chasing sport. However, the locals were notified on Thursday morning that the district administration has canceled it. Enraged participants and people who had come to watch the bull sport blocked the roads, before launching a violent protest.
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The police later resorted to using force to control the angry mob. Traffic was halted for more than two hours and people said a traffic logjam for about 10 kilometers was witnessed in the area. Following the protests, the locals were granted permission to conduct the event for a couple of hours. Normalcy was restored following the announcement and traffic blocks in the area were relaxed. "We have agreed to grant permission even without inspecting because it has become a law and order issue now," said an official source.
Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Annamalai tweeted videos from the spot blaming the state's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government for the delay in granting permission for the event. "DMK's aim is to ban cultural festivals of Tamils one by one," said Annamalai.
