Tamil Nadu   

66 injured in Alanganallur `jallikattu'

Staff Reporter

Three contestants and seven bulls disqualified for use of banned substances

— Photo: S. James

RUNNING AMUCK: A bull giving the contestants a tough time at the Alanganallur jallikattu on Wednesday.

MADURAI: As many as 66 persons were injured in the `jallikattu' (taming of the bull) organised amidst tight security at Alanganallur near here on Wednesday as part of the Pongal celebrations. Six of them were referred to the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) for further treatment.

Under the scanner

Right from registering bulls and contestants to streamlining galleries meant for spectators, the event was conducted in an organised manner, as it was under the scanner this time with a batch of petitions relating to the event pending before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.

Of the 587 bulls registered for the event, 545 were from Tiruchi, Cumbum, Theni, Sivaganga, Valasai, Rajakkoor, Muduvarpatti, Arittapatti, Varichiyur, Melur, Kidaripatti and Vadipatti. As many as 527 of the 600 registered contestants turned up.

A special medical team was present to check the bulls and the players.

The Collector, T. Udhayachandran, who was present at the venue monitoring the proceedings, said three contestants and seven bulls were disqualified for use of banned substances.

Medical teams with ambulances from GRH and private hospitals were present to provide first aid to the injured. The blood bank of the GRH made special arrangements to step in at the time of need.

The district administration, with the help of the police, regulated the crowd and the contestants, who were given uniforms to distinguish them from the rest of the crowd. More than 1,000 police personnel were deployed for the sporting event. Two-tier barricades were erected to prevent spectators from entering the arena.

Minister for Adi-Dravidar Welfare, A. Tamilarasi, P. Mohan, MP, P. Moorthy, MLA, top police officials including Inspector General of Police (South Zone), Sanjeev Kumar, Commissioner of Police, M. Chidambarasamy, Deputy Inspector General of Police, N. Chenbaharaman, and Superintendent of Police, T.S. Anbu, were present.

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