Sixty persons were injured, one of them seriously, at a jallikattu organised in Idaiyathur village near Ponnamaravathy in Pudukottai district on Sunday.
The jallikattu formed part of the celebrations of Mahasivarathiri festival of the Sri Swyambu Ponmasi Linga Ayyanar Swamy Temple. About 320 bulls from different parts of the State, including Dindigul, Sivaganga, Tirupattur, Alanganallur and Palamedu in Madurai district, took part in the event.
About 75 bull fighters in uniform tackled the bulls. They were examined by medical teams before the start. The bulls were also screened by veterinary doctors as per the guidelines laid by the government.
Thirty-five persons, including some spectators, sustained injuries and have been admitted to private hospitals at Ponnamaravathy and Pudukottai. Of them, S. Vijayan (26) of Karaiyur village, who sustained serious injuries, was rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital at Thanjavur. Twenty-five others sustained simple injuries and were attended to by medical teams present at the venue.
Heavy bandobust arrangements were made in the village for ensuring smooth conduct of the event. P. Moorthy, Superintendent of Police, supervised the event.
