Alanganallur (Tamil Nadu): At least 55 people were injured, three of them seriously, as Tamil Nadu's traditional bull-fight 'jallikattu' kicked off in Alanganallur. The famous age-old sport of taming wild bulls is organised in connection with the Pongal and local temple festivals.
Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse a mob that turned unruly, trying to enter the sports arena, after the incident.
The Alanganallur incident is the third of its kind after the sport began this year following the Supreme Court’s reversal of its earlier ban.
Jallikattu is played in the 11 southern districts coinciding with Pongal, harvest festival.
The apex court, while passing orders on a revision plea by the state government, imposed a series of conditions to ensure the safety of the bulls and also the spectators.
Double barricades had been put up around the sports arena to ensure the safety of the spectators, who included more than 100 foreign tourists.
At least 129 people were injured in the two events held on Wednesday in Palamedu in Madurai District and Periyasuriyur near Tiruchirappalli.
Animal Welfare Board officials were present at Palamedu on Wednesday, the venue of another event where at least 12 people were injured. As many as 500 bulls and 350 men were participating in the event.
All the bulls were subjected to medical test by qualified veterinary surgeons prior to the event.
Participants of jallikattu were also asked to undergo medical test. Further, they were frisked to ensure that they were not carrying sharp weapons like knife.
The 500 bulls, specially reared for the event, were brought from Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Virdhunagar and Ramanathapuram.
Each bull and each participant was given an ID card (token) and barricades were erected to prevent spectators from mixing with the participants, officals said.
Jallikattu is organised alongside Pongal, the harvest festival of the state.
(With PTI inputs)
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