At least 90 persons were injured in the popular 'Jallikattu' (bull taming sport) held as part of Pongal festival at two villages near Madurai and Tiruchirapalli today, police said.
While 41 persons, including bull tamers and the audience were injured during the event at Palamedu near Madurai, 49 persons were injured at Periyasoriyur, about 20 km from Tiruchirapalli, they said.
In Madurai, seven persons were admitted to the government hospital, while the others were treated as outpatients and sent back after first aid. The condition of one of the injured at Periyasoriyur was critical, they said.
As many as 530 bulls, including from neighbouring districts, were brought for the event in Madurai, while 350 bulls took part in the event at the village near Tiruchirapalli, police said.
The jallikattu at Madurai and Periyasoriyur saw heavy deployment of police for the event, conducted as per guidelines of the Supreme Court and Tamil Nadu Jallikattu Regulation Act in the wake of complaints from animal rights activists about cruelty to animals.
Authorities in both towns made sure the bulls were not subjected to harassment and administered intoxicants. The bulls were medically examined prior to the event, officials said.
