Hundreds of villagers in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu continued their fast for the second day on Monday, in protest against Supreme Court's ban on Jallikattu, the traditional bull fight, during Pongal festival.
Fifteen villagers in Alanganallur tonsured their heads as a mark of protest. Most shops in these areas remained closed and black flags were hoisted atop houses.
Alanganallur town panchayat president N Alagu Umadevi, who led the fast on Monday, told media persons that people could not accept the ban on 'Jallikattu,' which was part and parcel of Tamil Nadu's rural society.
Similar protests were held in Palamedu and other villages across the district.
A heavy police contingent has been deployed in the villages as a precautionary measure, police said.
On January 12, the apex court had declined to vacate a stay on the ground that the animals were subjected to cruel harassment.
The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday moved the Supreme Court seeking lifting of the stay on holding 'Jallikattu.'
In the application seeking modification of Friday's order, the state government said that failure to hold 'Jallikattu' may lead to law and order problems.
'Jallikattu,' also known as 'Yer Thazhuvudhal,' which involves taming of bulls, is a traditional adventure sport, said to have originated about hundreds of years ago as a sport of kings and landlords.
The sport is normally held on the day of 'Mattu Pongal' (January 16) in scores of villages across 11 districts of southern Tamil Nadu during the four-day Pongal festivities, starting on January 14.