A total of 20 persons were injured – five of them grievously – in the jallikattu held at Thavasimadai village in Sanarpatti union in the district on Sunday as part of a church festival.
The grievously injured persons were referred to Dindigul Government Hospital. Of the 20 persons who sustained injuries, seven were tamers, six spectators, six bull owners and one protection committee member.
A fiery black bull that stood in the field for more than 20 minutes tossed youths and chased tamers in all directions. The bull gored a youth positioned near the ‘vaadi vaasal’, and he suffered serious injuries in his groin. He was referred to Dindigul GH after first aid.
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Local people said the animal had caused injuries to at least 10 tamers in each jallikattu it was taken to in the district.
Around 300 bulls from Dindigul and Madurai districts took part in the event. Four of the 485 registered tamers were rejected. The arena was very narrow. Around 450 tamers and 30 protection committee members congregated near the vaadi vaasal, narrowing it further. With no space to move around, the tamers were exposed to attack by bulls.
Despite repeated request not to do so, the tamers pounced on the bulls in groups. When bull owners tried to control them, they went to the level of manhandling them. Bulls were let out continuously. Some times, two or three bulls were in the field as a few bulls returned towards the vaadi vaasal in a bid to find an escape route.
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Neither the protection committee members nor the police could control the unruly tamers. Outsiders too were roaming freely inside the arena.
At one stage, a team of police personnel entered the arena and stopped the event to regulate the tamers. The police chased outsiders as well as the protection committee members away from the vaadi vaasal area. Later, bulls were released. Heavy police force was deployed at the venue. Superintendent of Police A. Sarvanan monitored the security arrangements.
The prime road to the village was converted into the exit point. Wooden barricades were erected before several houses for the safety of the residents. Bulls ran amuck along the streets. Children and women were standing at the entrance of their houses behind the barricade. This was the last jallikattu in the district. The rural sport was conducted in 20 places in the district this year.