Panel submits report on jallikattu violence

Chennai

Sources in the Secretariat said, “In the last three years, Justice Rajeswaran Commission inquired 1,901 persons, including policemen, officials and jallikattu officials across the state including major cities such as Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Tiruchy.”

Following the restriction laid for jallikattu by the Supreme Court, there was a historic protest in the state in 2017 followed by a violence in which police attacked protesters in Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Salem and Coimbatore to disperse them. Then Chief Minister O Panneerselvam took steps to bring an amendment in the Cruelty to Animals Act and successfully conducted jallikattu across the state for which he was hailed as a ‘Jallikattu Hero’.

To cool the public across the state, the government appointed Justice Rajeswaran Commission to inquire into the violence that followed the jallikattu protests. In the last three years, the commission carried out several rounds of investigations and due to the extensive investigation, the commission sought extension on several occasion.

Though the mandate for the commission was just for three months, the state government granted extensions to support the extensive investigation. However, the Opposition parties raised the issue of deadline being continuously extended for the Rajeswaran Commission.

Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam replied in the Assembly in January that as Justice Rajeswaran was unwell in December, a one-month extension was granted to the commission and the report would be submitted within a month and as announced the report was submitted within 10 days. Sources added that the report would be tabled in the Assembly soon. 

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