The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Striking a balance between bulls and bullfighters

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Saturday, Jan 19, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Striking a balance between bulls and bullfighters

It is a responsibility with a difference, says S. Vijay Kumar

— PHOTO: S. JAMES.

NEW: Police deployed along the gallery separating spectators from participants at Alanganallur.

For the police, it was a responsibility with a difference. If it was raging bulls on the arena, there was an irate mob in the gallery. Managing jallikattu at Palamedu and Alanganallur in Madurai district was taxing for the police as they had to strike a balance between the bull and bullfighters.

A day after the Supreme Court cleared the decks for conducting the adventurous sport, jallikattu was held at Palamedu amidst tight security. Under the watchful eyes of animal rights activists and the media, the police and the district administration focussed on two things.

One, to ensure that the bulls were not subjected to cruelty in any form and the other was to minimise injuries to participants. The most visible change this year was that spectators were kept away from the arena. Double barricading coupled with a wire mesh gave no room for intruders to sneak in.

Also, the police formed a rescue team to remove injured participants. A team wearing ‘body protector jacket’ was deployed at vantage points to jump into the arena during emergency situations.

“In the event of any participant getting injured, the team was trained to rescue him. Even when some participants violated rules of jallikattu, the team forcibly removed them,” Madurai Superintendent of Police, T.S. Anbu, said.

After the police imposed several restrictions based on court directions, some spectators turned frenzy both at Palamedu and Alanganallur.

They pelted stones at police personnel injuring some of them.

“We knew that the public would react this way and we were prepared for it. Steps were also taken to create an awareness among the locals of the Supreme Court order and the need for them to cooperate with the police,” Mr. Anbu said and added that the entire district police strength was mobilised for the native sport.

Though jallikattu went off well for the law-enforcing agencies, for a section of locals at Alanganallur and Palamedu, the spirit of the centuries-old game was “compromised” as, they felt, too many restrictions affected the thrill and vigour.

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