One person was killed and about 30 persons, mostly spectators, were injured at the Kandipatti jallikattu, held on Saturday after the Madurai Bench of the Madras High court cleared the decks for the event on Friday.
The police identified the deceased as Velliappan (50) from Uruthikottai near Tiruvadanai. Three bull tamers and 27 spectators were injured in the jallikattu held from 9 30 a.m. to 1 30 p.m. Five of the injured were admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital here and one of them was latter referred to the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai.
The spectators were injured when the bulls let loose in the arena came out at the ‘collection point’ and went berserk after the owners failed to control them, the police said.
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Some people had also let loose bulls in the open, posing a threat to the onlookers, they said.
The district administration had denied permission for the event, stating that the organisers had sought permission only eight days before the event.
However, the High Court granted permission and directed the organisers to adhere to the Supreme Court guidelines.
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After the court’s order, the district administration and police swung into action and made arrangements for the jallikattu.
Collector V. Rajaraman and Superintendent of Police Ashwin M. Kotnis supervised the security arrangements till the early hours of Saturday.
The villagers had been organising ‘manjuvirattu’ (letting loose bulls in the open) all these years and it has been converted into jallikattu this year.
In all, 41 bulls took part in the event and there were 24 tamers.
Three tamers who were injured in the event were treated at the venue, the police said.
Last year during the manjuvirattu, more than 300 ‘unregistered bulls’ were let loose in the open, but this year the police imposed strict regulations and only 15 bulls were allowed, the SP said.