TRICHY/MADURAI/SALEM: Seven people, six of them spectators, died and more than 400 others were injured in jallikattu and related bull taming events held in various parts of the state on Thursday. Among them, one person died in hospital of injuries after a bull gored him at Siravayal manjuvirattu in Sivaganga district. Another victim was a spectator at the Alanganallur jallikattu in Madurai, while two others died in separate jallikattu events in the central districts.
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A 30-year-old man died in an eruthu vidum vizha, a variant bull race, held at Basthalapalli in Krishnagiri district, while a 45-year-old man died after being attacked by a bull at the jallikattu held at Sentharapatti in Salem district. In another incident, a bull owner drowned in a tank along with his bull while trying to collect the animal which ran away from the Siravayal arena.
In all, 156 people were injured in jallikattu events cross Pudukottai, Karur and Trichy districts. The 42-year-old who was gored to death at Siravayal was identified as S Subbaiah of Devakottai. At the famed Alanganallur jallikattu, 76 people, including 17 bull owners and 33 spectators were injured. Among them, P Periasamy, 56, of Mettupatti, who came to see the event, died without responding to treatment.
S Perumal, 70, a resident of Odugampatti village near Keeranur in Pudukottai, was waiting at a bus stop during the event at Mangadevanpatti when a bull, which fled the arena, collided with him. Perumal was rushed to Pudukottai Medical College Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Ten people suffered injuries at the event, which featured 607 bulls and 300 tamers.
Another spectator died at the jallikattu held at Ratchandar Thirumalai, known as RT Malai, in Karur district. Kuzhandhaivel, 65, of Samuthiram near Kulumani in Trichy, suffered fatal injuries after a bull encounter. He was taken to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) in Trichy where he died. The RT Malai jallikattu flagged off by minister V Senthilbalaji resulted in 52 injuries. The best bull earned its owner a car, while the best tamer received a motorcycle on behalf of chief minister M K Stalin and deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Pudukottai district hosted another jallikattu at Vanniyan Viduthi which was flagged off by minister Siva V Meyyanathan. The organisers permitted 638 bulls and 232 bull tamers to participate. In all, 38 people suffered injuries and received outpatient treatment from the medical team. In Trichy, jallikattu was conducted at Avarangadu near Valanadu where 56 people, including 25 spectators, 21 bull tamers and 10 bull owners, suffered injuries. The event featured 590 bulls and 237 bull tamers.
