Thirty-one persons were injured in the jallikattu at Suriyur village on the city’s outskirts on Monday.
Organised amid heavy security arrangements in the village after a gap of three years, the seven-hour-long event saw the participation of 447 bulls brought from various villages in Tiruchi and its neighbouring districts, including Thanjavur and Pudukottai.
It is customary on the part of this village to hold the traditional sport on the second day of the Tamil month ‘Thai’ when ‘Maatu Pongal’ is celebrated. The event inaugurated by District Collector K. Rajamani commenced after a group of temple bulls were at first let out from the ‘vaadivaasal’.
Tokens were issued to the participating bulls, which were subjected to a medical examination by veterinary teams deployed at the venue. Official sources said three bulls were disqualified from taking part in the event and 447 bulls were cleared by a team of veterinarians.
22 disqualified
Bull tamers were also subject to a medical check-up and 439 bull tamers were allowed to participate. As many as 22 tamers were disqualified for violating guidelines. Ten among the disqualified tamers were reportedly found in an inebriated state, while two others were under-aged, said police sources.
The tamers were split into three batches and allowed to participate in the day-long event with the Collector monitoring it till its completion at around 4 p.m. Six among the 31 injured were referred to the Mahatma Gandhi Government Hospital at Tiruchi. The others were treated on the spot by the medical team deployed in the village.
Of the 31 injured, eight were tamers; 11 were spectators and 12 were bull owners. Police sources said around 350 police personnel were deployed at various spots for security duty. The event witnessed tense moments briefly towards the end when owners of some bulls brought for the event demanded that their animals be allowed to participate. However, they were not allowed beyond the specified closure time of 4 p.m.
The event was monitored by representatives from the Animal Welfare Board.
