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KRISHNAGIRI: Tension prevailed at Gobasandiram village since around 6am on Thursday morning after the district administration refused to give permission for the bull dance and jallikattu.
Hundreds of villagers blocked the Chennai-Bengaluru national highway for nearly six hours They also pelted more than 10 buses including government and private and police vehicles with stones.
Hundreds of angry villagers then blocked the highway and placed huge boulders to block the movement of vehicles. They even threw stones at the police. Some even climbed atop vehicles and created trouble. Due to this, traffic was blocked for several kilometres on the highway.
Enraged participants and people who had come to view the sport staged a protest, blocking the national highway. The protest then turned violent.
As tensions grew, the police resorted to lathicharge, firing teargas shells and using water cannons to disperse the crowd. It was only much later that the highway was cleared for movement of vehicles.
Officials said at least 15 police personnel were injured and the protest on the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway caused traffic disruptions for up to10 kilometres.
Following the massive protest, local officials granted two hours’ permission to hold the event, bringing the crowd under control. Traffic movement was also regulated soon after.
