MADURAI
A total of 48 persons were injured in the jallikattu held at Sakkudi near here as part of Muppuli Swami temple’s Mahasivarathri celebrations on Sunday. Out of them, 10 were referred to the Government Rajaji Hospital here. They suffered injuries like fractures, said a police officer.
Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management R.B. Udhayakumar inaugurated the event and Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao administered the jallikattu oath. Over 5,000 spectators thronged the venue.
Out of the total 995 registered bulls, 927 took part in the event after certified fit. Tamers were allowed in the arena for an hour in batches of 75 participants.
Many bulls tossed the tamers in the air as they attempted to hold onto their humps. Tamers ran in all directions for safety. Winners were awarded silver and gold coins, bikes, steel almirahs, bicycles, and cash.
Bulls of Parambupatti’s Selli Amman Koil, Sivaganesan from Coimbatore and Jallikattu Peravai president P. Rajasekar were adjudged the best. Sampath, a bull tamer from Periyakulam in Theni district, who managed to tame seven bulls, was adjudged the best tamer.
A huge posse of police was deployed at the venue to manage the crowd. A team of 65 doctors were present. As many as seven ambulances and three mobile medical units were present. Fire and Rescue Services personnel were also stationed.
