Police clear up Alanganallur arena, 220 protesters detained at 6am after night-long protests

The all-night pro-jallikattu protests and drama from late Monday night to early morning on Tuesday at the Alanganallur arena in Madurai came to an end after the police detained about 220 people at 6am on Tuesday morning.

On Monday evening, about 300 protesters, most of them from outside Madurai district, refused to leave the protest spot unless the police opened the vaadivasal, the opening to the Jallikattu arena.

Protesters sat in dharna, stating that they will not leave until the police allowed Jallikattu to happen.

Late in the night, AIADMK MLA and actor Karunas joined the protesters. There was rousing support for the protesters on social media.

Supporters lit candles and sat huddled in a large group, even as hundreds of policemen stood guard around them.

Alanganallur, the village that holds one the most popular Jallikattu events every year, witnessed unprecedented protests on Monday. The morning saw thousands of protesters gather at the vaadivasal. Even as police lathicharged protesters during the day and seized bulls, preventing them from holding jallikattu, several protesters stayed back, refusing to leave.

Through the day, police asked the protesters to disperse, but they refused. A few youngsters who tried to release the bulls ended up clashing with the police. Police officers also used loudspeakers to make announcements to the crowd gathered there. They asked them to leave as the traffic in the area was getting disrupted, but the crowd made it clear that they would not leave till the government opened the vaadivaasal and allowed Jallikattu to happen. Many people from Alanganallur village too joined the protest. 

Most of the protesters have since been taken into custody. The protesters have dispersed.