Updated

Chennai/Theni (TN), Jan 23 (PTI): The six-day-old stir over jallikattu turned violent today after an early morning crackdown on the protesters here, leaving over 20 police personnel injured even as the Tamil Nadu assembly moved swiftly and passed a bill replacing an ordinance for conducting the bull taming sport.

A senior police official told PTI that 90 per cent of the protesters at Marina beach, the epicentre of the agitation, predominantly by students and youth, had vacated the area by late evening and that normalcy was being restored.

Reports said most protestors in other parts of the state like Madurai, Erode and Coimbatore were either evicted or had left on their own, heeding the appeal of police.

However, the crackdown had a ripple effect in the city and elsewhere, where normal life was affected, with protesters staging road blocks and state transport buses being withdrawn at many places.

The government moved quickly to get the amendment bill to replace the jallikattu ordinance promulgated two days ago, passed in the assembly in the evening session.

The "Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment), Act, 2017", piloted by Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, was passed by voice vote with the support of opposition DMK and other parties.

It said the "Government of Tamil Nadu has decided to exempt jallikattu from the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act."

On an eventful day, police set on an early morning crackdown at Marina after issuing an advisory asking students to leave.

They said students' protests had been successful as jallikattu had been held yesterday following the state issuing the ordinance.

Former Madras High Court Judge Hari Paranthaman also spoke to the protesting youngsters, explaining to them the technical specifications of the state government's amendment to the PCA Act.

According to a senior police official, "90 per cent of the protesters at Marina Beach have left."

Earlier in the day, protesters fought pitched battles with police at several areas, especially around Marina Beach from where thousands were evicted.

They blocked roads at various parts of the city with the week-long agitation taking a violent turn.

Traffic was thrown out of gear as the agitators took to the streets, with some attacking policemen and their vehicles.

Police fired teargas shells and resorted to lathicharge at some places as sections of protesters, removed from Marina in the early morning crackdown, pelted stones.

They went on a rampage, setting vehicles on fire at a few places, including in front of Ice House Police Station near the beach.

Meanwhile, police today said some of the protesters, who took part in the pro-jallikattu agitation here, belonged to ultra-left organisations such as the CPI(ML) and Revolutionary Youth Front of India.

Police said many protesters did not have a proper answer when they were asked why were they continuing with the protest when an ordinance for conducting the bull-taming sport had been promulgated.

When police started recording their statements, they found out that some of the protesters belonged to ultra-left outfits like the Puthia Jananayakam, CPI(ML) and Revolutionary Youth Front of India.

They also recorded their statements regarding those who supplied microphones and other infrastructure facilities for organising the demonstration.

Police asked them when genuine supporters of jallikattu were satisfied with the government action, why should they want to continue with the agitation and what was their real objective.

They did not have a proper answer and soon afterwards, dispersed from the spot, police said.

At Perambalur, the protesters dispersed on being requested by the police. Some of them even hugged the police personnel before leaving the protest venue.

Police said even at Thanjavur and Kumbakonam, the protesters dispersed without arguing with the securitymen.

Earlier Update

Jallikattu protest turns violent, vehicles, police station set on fire

Jan 23 (Agencies): A week-long protest protesting the ban on Jallikattu turned violent today with the clash between protestors and Policemen at Marina beach in Chennai on Monday.

The clash broke out when the police forcibly evicted the crowds at the beach. The unruly crowd has reportedly set the Ice House police station near Marina beach and other vehicles on fire.

Students leading the Jallikattu protests here torched several vehicles and fought pitched battles with police after they were forcibly evicted from the Marina beach here.

Furious that they had been ousted from the beach, the pro-Jallikattu protesters set fire to the vehicles parked at the Ice House police station and attacked police personnel with bricks and stones.

Fire tenders battled the flames.

A large posse of police personnel swooped on the huge crowd which had massed at the sprawling beach since January 17 and began to drag away the young protesters.

There was bedlam as others tried to pull back those being taken away.

The police then used batons to disperse the mobs. As people ran from the beach and collected on nearby streets, there was more violence.

The trouble was intense in Triplicane area near the beach.

The police also fired tear gas to disperse the crowds who assembled on several roads leading to the beach and hurled stones at security personnel.

All routes leading to the Marina have been cordoned off.

In Madurai too, youths who have been staging protests demanding the lifting of the 2014 Supreme Court ban on Jallikattu, the traditional bull taming sport, fought with police on the streets.

The eviction in Chennai began after week-long protests across Tamil Nadu.

The demonstrators want an amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act so that Jallikattu can be held without legal hurdles.

The police action came as the Tamil Nadu assembly met here on Monday for the first time this year with Governor C.H. Vidyasagar Rao's address.

In Coimbatore, the police pounced on a protester who stood up with a kerosene canister and threatened to self-immolate. They were successful in taking away the inflammable liquid.

The government on Sunday organised Jallikattu in several places following the promulgation of an ordinance.

The demonstrators want the central government to take out bulls from the list of performing animals.

P. Rajasekhar, President of the Jallikattu Pathukaapu Peravai, has urged people to call off their agitation.

'Hip-Hop Tamizha' Adhi, a rap musician whose song in support of Jallikattu attracted the protesters, distanced himself from the crowds as they were moving in a different direction, he said.

While many are upset with the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for opposing Jallikattu, in most protest venues slogans were raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam.

Some placards held by a few protesters were vulgar and there were random calls demanding a separate Tamil land.

Further, thousands of regular commuters have been facing inconvenience due to cancellation of trains after the demonstrators squatted on rail tracks.

The Southern Railway on Monday announced cancellation of 16 trains.

"Around 40,000 passengers are affected daily due to disruption in train services," a railway official told IANS.

Meanwhile, DMK leader M.K. Stalin condemned the police action as authoritarian.

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss said the party was withdrawing its plans to hold Jallikattu protests on January 26 as the government had passed an ordinance permitting the sport.