Consultative panel formed for Avaniyapuram jallikattu

MADURAI: As per an order from the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, a peace meeting was held with representatives of the Avaniyapuram Thenkal Irrigation Farmers Association and the village committee there regarding the conduct of Avaniyapuram jallikattu, at the collectorate on Friday. During the meeting, RDO Firdose Fathima formed a 16-member consultative committee comprising representatives from all communities to iron out differences between the groups.

A few years ago, members of the farmers’ association and the village committee locked horns over the right to organise the jallikattu sport. The state government intervened and organised the event at Avaniyapuram over the past two years. With both parties arriving at no amicable solution this year too, a peace meeting was held in the presence of Collector Dr S Aneesh Sekhar.

Later, the parties approached the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court. The court ordered both groups to meet in the presence of government officials and form a joint committee. Accordingly, a 16-member committee was constituted on Friday.

This new consultative committee will provide suggestions to the nine-member panel previously formed by the district administration to conduct Avaniyapuram jallikattu this year. The meeting on Friday, meanwhile, ended in a scuffle between the two groups. Additional police personnel were deployed to quell the tension that lasted for over one hour on the collectorate campus.