Sivagangai (Tamil Nadu) [India]: Several people have been injured during a Jallikattu event in Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu.
The event, also known as Manjuvirattu, took place at Aralipparai village in Sivagangai district on Saturday.
Earlier, Jallikattu event was organized in Kulathur village in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu.
According to the organisers, 700 bulls and 350 tamers participated in the event.
Policemen were deployed in the village for security. 15 people were injured in the first round of the incident.
In Tamil Nadu, the first Jallikattu of the year was held on January 6 at Thachankurichi village in Pudukkottai district. The bull taming game started at Avaniapuram in Madurai district on January 15, followed by the event at Palamedu in Madurai district on January 16.
Animal rights organizations called for a ban on the sport, pointing to the risk of injury to both the participants and the bulls. However, in May 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the Tamil Nadu government’s law allowing Jallikattu, a bull-taming sport, in the state.
The Tamil Nadu government, while defending the organization of Jallikattu, had told the top court that sports events can also be cultural events and there is no cruelty to bulls.
Jallikattu is an age-old event mostly celebrated in Tamil Nadu as part of the Pongal festival.
In Jallikattu, a bull is released into a crowd of people, and participants in the event try to hold onto the large hump on the bull’s back, attempting to stop the bull.
The history of Jallikattu dates back to 400-100 BC, when the Ayars, an ethnic group in India, played it.
The name is made up of two words: Jalli (silver and gold coins) and Kattu (tied).
