At least 50 persons were injured in two Jallikattu events held in Pudukkottai and Tiruchi districts of Tamil Nadu on Thursday, March 17. The events were held in Manganampatti village in Pudukottai and Thachankurichi village in Tiruchi. Among the 25 people who were injured in Mangampatti, 21 persons with minor injuries were treated at the venue itself as their injuries were not grave. Four persons with serious injuries were referred to the Pudukkottai government hospital.
Police sources told IANS that 574 bulls were released during the event, which lasted for more than six hours. The number of bull tamers who participated in the event was 300. Among the injured, 11 were spectators, seven were bull owners and seven were tamers. According to a report in The Hindu, 25 persons were injured in the Thachankurichi jallikattu, in which 498 bulls and 300 tamers participated. Police sources said that 17 of those injured were treated as out-patients at the venue and eight were referred to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital at Tiruchi for treatment.
The jallikattu at Avaniyapuram of Madurai is the beginning of a series of such events throughout the state after the Pongal (harvest) festival. Madurai district witnesses three traditional events at Avaniyapuram, followed by Palamedu and world-renowned Alanganallur. Though the events are held in other parts of Tamil Nadu, these three successive Jallikattu events in Madurai are major attractions every year.
A 19-year-old spectator died in the Avaniyapuram jallikattu on January 14 after being hit by a bull that exited from the arena. The deceased, identified as Balamurugan, was standing near the collection point. Another 27-year-old man named Meenakshisundaram was killed after sustaining injuries from being hit by his own bull while taking it to the jallikattu venue at Periya Suriyur in Trichy, on January 15.