According to police sources, the way the jallikattu protest was handled by the Madurai district police on January 16 triggered instant protests. Caught by surpriseThe Special Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (SB-CID), which is primarily responsible for gathering intelligence, was completely taken aback by the sheer magnitude of the protests. This time, the police had very little knowledge about social media as such. Admitting that staff shortage at field level was a major handicap, the officers said that the protest was a new experience for the intelligence police. Adding to the embarrassment was the participation of some police constables in the protests.

Source: The Hindu January 23, 2017 00:32 UTC