Two spectators were gored to death and more than 50 people – bull tamers and spectators were injured in the siravayal manjuvirattu and jallikattu event held in this village on Tuesday.
The annual event, organised coinciding with ‘kanum pongal’ turned chaotic when villagers let loose bulls in the open as part of the traditional ‘manjuvirattu’, hours before the inauguration of ‘jallikattu’ organised by the villagers and district administration, adhering to the guidelines stipulated by the Supreme court.
As the jallikattu slated to commence at 11 am got delayed because of the late arrival of Collector G Latha, villagers who had brought unregistered bulls, let them loose in the open, celebrating ‘manjuvirattu’.
ADVERTISEMENT
On being booed by the crowd, the bulls went berserk and ran into the crowd, goring two persons to death and injuring 46 people. Police identified the deceased as Ramanathan (38) from Kazhanivasal, near Karaikudi and Kasi (25) from Sevoor in Pudukottai district. The injured were treated at the Tirupattur Government Hospital, police said.
Superintendent of Police T Jayachandran said most of those injured were also spectators who have gathered at the open ground.
In the ‘jallikattu’ held in the barricaded arena, 78 registered bulls were brought for taming after they were certified fit by the veterinary doctors. In all, 35 tamers, certified fit by doctors, turned up and the event got over in couple of hours, police and revenue officials said. About ten tamers suffered minor injuries, they added.
ADVERTISEMENT
Former Minister K.R. Periyakaruppan, BJP State president Tamilisai Soundarajan and BJP national secretary H Raja were among others witnessed the jallikattu.