Jallikattu held in Alanganallur, 47 injured

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Madurai: The much-awaited jallikattu was held amid tight security today in nearby Alanganallur, famous for the bull-taming sport, which left 47 sportsmen injured, police said.

The event, held after a gap of nearly three long years, saw the attendance of several dignitaries including Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, DMK leader MK Stalin and Sri Lankan Minister Senthil Thondaman.

District Collector Veeraraghava Rao formally inaugurated the sport after administering oath to 1,464 sportsmen who took part in the game.
A variety of prizes including a car, two-wheelers, cash and utensils were awarded to the winners.

As many as 47 sportsmen were injured in the sport while attempting to tame the bulls and had been admitted to the hospital.
The DMK working president Stalin gave away prizes to some of the winners in the sport.

As many as 950 bulls from different parts of Tamil Nadu were used in the game in which the Sri Lankan minister's bulls also took part.

The spectators' gallery was overflowing since morning with jallikattu fans who had been pouring into the village from yesterday.

All the sportsmen and the bulls were subjected to mandatory medical examination, as laid down by the state government, and elaborate arrangements were made for providing medical treatment.

More than 2,000 police personnel were deployed on security duty at the venue.

Normally, Jallikattu is held as part of the Pongal festivities in Tamil Nadu. However, it was not held during Pongal this year due to a Supreme Court ban.

Amid continuing protests over Jallikattu ban across the state, the Tamil Nadu Assembly had on January 23 unanimously passed an amendment bill, clearing the path for conducting Jallikattu without any hindrance.