Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Number of Individuals Investigated and/or Charged over Jallikattu-Related Events by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law

Question:

Mr. Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many individuals have been investigated and/or charged over Jallikattu-related events in Singapore; and (b) of this number, how many are Singaporeans, PRs and foreigners respectively.

Answer:

1. The Police are investigating 9 incidents of public assembly without a permit relating to the Jallikattu movement. Jallikattu is a bull-taming event practiced in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu as part of the Pongal festival. It was initially banned in India, which led to protests in India and other countries.

2.     114 persons are under investigation by the Police for participating in these public assemblies without permits, of whom 4 are Singaporeans, 23 are Permanent Residents and 87 are foreigners. The incidents took place between 15 and 22 January 2017.

3.     We take a strong stand against the importation of foreign politics by foreigners into Singapore. Foreigners visiting or living in Singapore are to abide by our laws, and should not import the politics of their own countries into Singapore.