The cattle festival near Kuppam town ended in a tragedy on Sunday with two panicked bulls dying after a railway engine struck them, and a dozen revellers suffering injuries in the ‘Pasuvula Panduga’ or jallikattu.
Although the festival does not strictly match the Tamil Nadu version, it draws a large crowd to the Gudupalle mandal headquarters near Kuppam town.
A large group of revellers gathered at Gudupalle along with cattle for the bull race, including youth and farmers from neighbouring Tamil Nadu villages like Natrampalle and Pachur.
As per the game rules, the frenzied bulls, which were said to have been subjected to intoxication, were released into the open to be tamed by participants. The organisers had three categories of prizes for ‘controlling’ the animals within the stipulated time and set boundary lines. The villagers of Nulukunta Kothapalle were declared to have won the first prize of ₹4,000. A dozen youth were reportedly injured, with some who had visible injuries getting treatment at the local hospital, and those with bruises simply walking away.
Panicked bulls
Around 4 p.m., two bulls that were chased by the participants crossed the village boundary limits and raced to the nearby railway track.
Though people ran after the animals to stop them, the bulls were fatally hit by a train engine which was crossing the Jolarpettai-Bengaluru section.
A bull attacked an SUV used by a batch of Community Police Officers, injuring a volunteer who had come to help.
