The injured were spectators at Manjuvirattu, a kind of bull-taming sport like Jallikattu. It is held in several parts of Tamil Nadu.
Manjuvirattu — the bull taming event. (Wikimedia)
Two people, including an 11-year-old boy, were gored to death at the venue of a bull-taming event held at Siravayal near Sivaganga on Wednesday, 17 January.
According to the police, two spectators, a boy and a youth in his thirties, were seriously wounded when they were attacked by bulls at the venue of Manjuvirattu. They eventually succumbed to their injuries.
Manjuvirattu is a kind of bull-taming sport like Jallikattu. It is held in several parts of Tamil Nadu.
A senior police official told PTI, “These were accidental deaths. Both of them died on the spot.”
The boy and the youth were injured after being mauled by the bulls near a spot designated for the “collection” of animals, he added.
To witness the popular bull-taming sport in this part of Tamil Nadu, about 80,000 people had gathered at Siravayal, among which a number of spectators were injured.
The grand finale of Jallikattu was also held at Alanganallur in Madurai on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, 16 January, about 42 people, including 14 tamers and 16 spectators, were injured in the second major event of the Pongal 2024 Jallikattu season held at Palamedu in Madurai.
At least half-a-dozen young tamers were tossed by the raging bulls when they missed the hump and clasped the bull’s neck instead.
Twelve bull owners, too, were among the 42 injured during the bull embracing (Eru Thazhuvuthal) event at Palamedu, which annually hosts Jallikattu during the Pongal (harvest) festival.
Avaniyapuram, in the district, set the tone and tenor of Jallikattu when it hosted the event on Monday.
Madurai, known for its fragrant jasmine buds, rededicated its valour and love for the traditional sport of Jallikattu or bull embracing, this Pongal 2024 season.
Scores of mighty tenacious bulls, trained to dodge being tamed, and dauntless men with a passion for taming bulls and guided by their instinct had registered online for the grand events at Avaniyapuram, Palamedu, and Alanganallur, in Madurai district where the Jallikattu arenas spring to life during Pongal (mid-January harvest) festival.
The Avaniyapuram Jallikattu was held on 15 January, on Pongal day, followed by similar events at Palamedu on 16 January, and Alanganallur on 17 January.
As a token of appreciation for the valour displayed during the sport, coveted prizes like a car and motorcycle are offered to the best bull that evades and the best man who tames a large number of bulls.
(With PTI inputs)
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