The State’s first jallikattu of the season was held at Thatchankurichi village in the Gandarvakottai taluk of Pudukottai district with traditional fervour on Saturday, ahead of the Pongal festivities. However, as many as 29 people were injured in the event.
In this sport, bulls are released into the sporting arena one after the other and, simultaneously, over a hundred tamers vie with each other to dominate the bulls. This generally takes place in large numbers on open ground.As many as 571 bulls were released into the arena one after the other through ‘vadivasal’ and about 300 tamers took the field. Bulls were brought from Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Salem, Namakkal and neighbouring districts to the village in mini freight carriers. Hundreds of bulls were lined up on the Sengipatti-Gandarvakottai Road, leading to diversion of vehicles for several hours.Animal rights organisations have called for a ban on the sport, considering the risk of injuries to participants and the bulls.