World famous bull-taming sport, Jallikattu begins, take a look.
Jallikattu season has just begun in Tamil Nadu and at least 50 people have been injured so far in the bull-taming sport.
Close to a thousand bulls are participating in Wednesday's event. During Jallikattu, bulls festooned with marigolds are released from pens and men try to grab their horns to win prizes.
In 2017, following massive protests across Tamil Nadu, the banned bull-taming sport was legitimised through an ordinance by the Tamil Nadu government. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 was amended for the state on the grounds that Jallikattu plays a vital role in preserving and promoting the culture and tradition in large parts of the state.
#WATCH: Bull-taming sport #Jallikattu being performed in Madurai. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/6d35Eiv6jV
— ANI (@ANI) January 16, 2019
1. Jallikattu season begins
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Jallikattu, bull-taming sport, is usually held during the harvest festival of Pongal in mid-January.
Photo Credits: PTI
2. Tamil celebrates Jallikattu with traditional fervour
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The excitement was palpable in Madurai's Avaniapuram where the sport was being organised. As per traditions, two bulls were released into the crowd of contestants enclosed within a fence, and each tried to grab the hump of the bull and ride it for as long as possible.
Photo Credits: AFP
3. 636 bulls, 500 bull tamers register in 2019
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In total, 636 bulls and 500 bull tamers are participating in the event this year.
Photo Credits: AFP
4. Casualties on Day 1
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According to reports, 50 people were injured on the first day of the event in Pudukkottai district. 50 people, including bull tamers, handlers and the general public, were injured at the Avaniyapuram Jallikattu event in Madurai.
Photo Credits: AFP
5. Administration takes security measures
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The Madurai district administration has enrolled participants in a mandatory insurance scheme that is applicable in the event of death. The Jallikattu participants were reportedly asked to visit their banks to sign up for the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) scheme on Monday which would provide them with a risk coverage of up to Rs 2 lakh.
Photo Credits: AFP
6. SC banned festival in 2014
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The festival was banned by the Supreme Court in 2014 after complaints of extreme animal cruelty. However, Tamil Nadu enacted a law in 2017 to bypass the top court's verdict, owing to massive protests challenging the ban of the event.
Photo Credits: AFP
7. PETA urges to ban 'the cruel event'
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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Wednesday wrote to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami urging him to ban Jallikattu since it claimed 23 humans and six bulls since the state Assembly brought in amendments in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act last year, to remove legal hurdles to conduct the traditional bull taming sport.
Photo Credits: AFP
