The police were on tenterhooks in different parts of Tamil Nadu to prevent people from organising jallikattu on Sunday.
In Tiruchi, around 20 bulls were let loose after they were brought to the Pampalamman temple at Vengaikurichi in the morning. The organisers, who brought the bulls to the temple under the pretext of offering worship, released them one by one, challenging the Supreme Court ban on conducting the sport. Prizes were distributed to those who tamed bulls. A large number of spectators belonging to Vengaikurichi, Manapparai and neighbouring villages participated in the event.
The whole event got over even before police could arrive from Puthanatham village, where they were deployed for ‘Gnanaratham’ festival. Similar events were conducted in Uthamarseeli, Kondayampettai and a few more villages in Tiruchi district.
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The Karur police arrested 10 persons on the charge of organising a rooster fight, a banned rural sport.
In Pudukottai district, the police registered a case against six persons for organising jallikattu at Rapposal village near Iluppur.
Tension prevailed at Thadikonda Iyyanar for some time when people were making arrangements for the jallikattu.
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They had even set up ‘vagaivadi’ (the outlet through which animals are let out during the event). Even as police personnel were dismantling the ‘vagaivadi’ by cutting off the ropes and clearing the plantain trees, a couple of villagers let out one of the bulls in the area, causing panic. Police resorted to mild force to chase the villagers away.
“We have been keeping a close vigil at every conventional route and places where the celebrations had been held in the past,” said J. Loganathan, Superintendent of Police, adding that an attempt to organise jallikattu was thwarted near Alangudi.
Around 20 bulls were let out at the event conducted in a dried-up tank near S. Alangulam in Madurai, while the sport was conducted with three bulls on a barren farmland near Vilangudi.
There were also reports of the sport being conducted in a dried-up water body near Palanganatham and in Anaiyur.
Till Saturday, the Madurai city and rural police together had registered at least three cases for conducting jallikattu .
Police version
(the narrow entry through which bulls are generally let out) and no one really attempted to catch or tame the bulls.
He said that security arrangements would be strengthened at Alanganallur, where similar protests are expected on Monday.
Jallikattu was also conducted on a smaller scale in at least four places in the district.
Farmers hoist black flags