Tamers trying to stop a raging bull at the Alanganallur jallikattu in Madurai district.
| Photo Credit: ASHOK R
A 55-year-old spectator at the Alanganallur jallikattu in Madurai district was gored to death by a raging bull on Thursday.
The event was flagged off by Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.
According to the police, P. Periyasamy of Vadipatti was attacked by a bull when he was standing near the bull collection point.
He sustained severe injuries and was admitted to a government hospital.
Doctors at the hospital said they performed a tracheotomy on him. Even as his breathing turned normal, he experienced a cardiac arrest and died.
Earlier, following morning prayers to the local gods and three temple bulls on the arena, the event was flagged off by Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin. As a custom, the temple bulls were released first from the vaadivasal to mark the commencement of the event.
The organisers said that around 1,000 bulls were released from the vaadivasal for only the second time in the history of Alanganallur jallikattu.
Touting this as a significant achievement in giving representation to all those eligible for participation, the organisers said that almost all the registered bulls were released into the field.
Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration P. Moorthy distributed prizes to the winners.
The first prize went to Abi Sithar of Poovanthi in Sivaganga, who tamed 20 bulls. He was awarded a car, a cow and a calf.
The second and third prize were bagged by Sridhar of Pothumbu, who tamed 13 bulls, and Vignesh of Madapuram in Sivaganga, who tamed 10 bulls, respectively.
While Mr. Sridhar was awarded an autorickshaw, Mr. Vignesh was given an electric bike.
In the ‘best bulls’ list, the first prize was awarded to ‘Bahubali’ from Salem district. The owner was awarded a tractor, a cow and a calf.
Bulls owned by Parthasarathy and Kannan won the second and third prize, respectively. A bike and a rotavator were given for the second place, and an electric bike for the third place.
Health officials said that of the 525 tamers who underwent tests for entry into the field, 33 were rejected for various reasons.
A total of 65 persons sustained injuries. Of them, 17 cases were major, and were referred to the Government Rajaji Hospital.
“Of the 17 referrals, two are in a critical condition. The two critical patients were not bull owners or tamers, but spectators who stood near the bull collection point,” an official said.
Due to relatively light security arrangements at the collection point, many locals enter the area where the owners keep their bulls, an official said.
Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Theni MP Thanga Tamil Selvan, and Collector M.S. Sangeetha were present during the event.
Published – January 17, 2025 12:13 am IST