12-year-old among 2 gored to death in TN at a Jallikattu event

A 12-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man died while a few others were injured on Wednesday after two unregistered bulls attacked them on the sidelines of a manjuvirattu (a type of Jallikattu, a traditional bull-taming sport) event in Sivaganga’s Siravayal village, said police officials.

A senior official from the district administration, who was present at the event, said despite having 270 registered bulls and their tamers, the programme went smoothly. However, after it ended, some unregistered bulls went loose.“One unregistered bull attacked a minor boy and the other attacked a man,” said the official, adding that the victims were at a distance of 200–300 meters from where the event took place.

The two succumbed to injuries on the way to a government hospital, the others who injured were hospitalised and are reported to be stable now.“The event was held following all the guidelines. Three layers of security with 800 police personnel were present to prevent any untoward incidents. But this mishap occurred after the event, beyond this protected area,” said the official quoted above.

“The locals let loose their unregistered bulls, as it is considered a tradition. It happens every year, and additional police force was deployed to block routes, but the locals found another way,” added the official.

While it is not yet known how many unregistered bulls were let loose, the owners of two bulls who attacked the spectators have been identified.

“An FIR will be registered against them soon,” said a police officer. Sivaganga MP Karti Chidambaram was also present at the event.

“The matches have been proceeding here without any casualties. The state government has deployed enough security to prevent any untoward incident,” the MP told the media.Hours before the incident, Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin inaugurated a Jallikattu match at Alanganallur Arena in Madurai.

Earlier, chief minister MK Stalin posted a video of one of the winners successfully taming a bull, stating that Jallikattu was held in more than 100 locations across the state, for which over 66,000 bulls were reared.

The DMK government is building a new Jallikattu stadium at Keelakarai village in Madurai, which is slated to be named after the party’s patriarch and five-time chief minister, M Karunanidhi.

“I will be there to inaugurate it,” Stalin wrote on X.

The controversial sports event started on January 15. It is conducted during the four-day harvest festival of Pongal every year.

Jallikattu was temporarily banned in Tamil Nadu from 2014 to 2016 following a Supreme Court order.

Following massive protests against the ban in 2017, Tamil Nadu enacted the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act of 2017 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules of 2017 to override the ban.