Hema Malini Calls for a Ban on Jallikattu

UPDATE: On 7May 2014, the Honourable Supreme Court of India banned jallikattu, bull races, bullfights and other uses of bulls in performances.

The eternal beauty and Bollywood’s original dream girl, Hema Malini, who continues to rule the hearts of millions of people around the world, has proved once again that she has a golden heart for animals. Besides being a legendary actor, Hema has been a long-time PETA supporter. She has helped us in our campaign to stop cruel horse-drawn carriages in Mumbai, and now she’s got her sights set on banning cruelty to bulls used for jallikattu in Tamil Nadu.

After learning how fatal and cruel jallikatu is to humans and bulls, she immediately penned a letter to the Minister of Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh, calling for the Ministry to take steps to stop the violent event. This letter comes just in time for the next hearing of the case that PETA India has filed in the Supreme Court against the the Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu Act No 27 of 2009, a state law that permits jallikattu. In the petition, the group points out that the cruel “game” of jallikattu violates the spirit of the national Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and causes numerous injuries and deaths every year to human participants and spectators.

A recent PETA investigation of five jallikattu events documented that bulls were tied so tightly that it caused the animals severe discomfort and pain. The bulls were then hit with fists, had their tails twisted and pulled, were jumped on and were wrestled to the ground. Not only is jallikattu cruel to animals, it also poses a threat to public safety. In one four-day period in January 2011, 215 people sustained injuries during jallikattu events and two people died. Of those injured, 154 were spectators.

So all you fans and admirers of Hema Malini, please join her in urging Minister Jairam Ramesh to help stop jallikattu cruelty. What are you waiting for? Write to the Minister right now by using this link.

Thank you!