Jallikattu row: Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan appeal for calm as protests turn violent in Tamil Nadu

Amid violent protests against the ban on Jallikattu, superstar Rajinikath on Monday appealed for calm and peace. In a letter, Rajinikanth appealed the protesters to end their protest and said that miscreants are trying to hijack the protest and bring bad name to them.

“We have not seen such peaceful protests in the country so far. The peaceful protests have gone waste. The only way now is to put an end to violence,” Rajini said in his letter he tweeted on Monday.

Rajinikanth had come out in support of the bull taming sport saying the ban on Jallikattu must be lifted as it is a Tamil culture. Last week, he was also seen taking part in a silent protest with other stars in Chennai.

Meanwhile, with police cracking down on pro jallikattu supporters, veteran cinema star Kamal Haasan on Monday came out in support of students and youth, saying “aggressive police action on students’ passive resistance will not bear good results” and urged protesters not to resort to violence.

“This is a mistake. Aggressive police action on students passive resistance will not bear good results”, Haasan wrote on Twitter.

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Meanwhile, RJ-actor Balaji requested the protesters to go home, saying the Government promulgating an ordinance in itself was success to the peaceful protests conducted over the last week.“Instead of celebrating the first success (of making the Government to promulgate an ordinance), why are you venturing into violent protests?”, he asked in a video that was widely circulated in the social media.

The protests which were held peacefully over the last week should not end like the way it is turning out now, he said.

“I appeal to the protesting students and public to go home. Protests are over. Please go home.” he said.

Police on Monday evicted scores of pro-jallikattu demonstrators from protest venues across Tamil Nadu, especially from Marina beach, amid incidents of stone-pelting, torching a car and mild lathicharge at a few places in the city.

(With inputs from PTI)