Manikantan (25) of Manapparai in Tiruchirappalli was gored to death by a bull when he tried to tame the animal during a Jallikattu event held near Srirangam on Sunday. A bull which took part in the Jallikattu died of cardiac arrest while two others sustained serious injuries when they ran amuck.
One of the bulls was injured seriously when it was hit by the Guruvayur Express. According to accounts by eye witnesses, the bull which was let loose into the arena, completed its run and sped away beating its owners. The bull ran more than six kilo meters along the nearby railway track when it was hit by the moving train.
Another bull, after attacking the tamers jumped into a 23-feet well near the arena but was rescued by the fire services personnel deployed to ensure safety of the bulls and tamers. But nothing could save the life of Manikantan as he became the ninth official victim to die in this season's Jallikattu. According to animal rights activists who do not want their names to be quoted, the number of persons who died in this seasons Jallikattu has crossed 12. “A partisan media in Tamil Nadu is hiding the facts. Since these events are being held in remote villages, we do not know what transpired after the event,” said one of the activists.
In another Jallikattu event held in Thanjavur district on Sunday, 44 persons which include tamers and spectators, were injured. More than 20 persons who sustained serious injuries have been referred to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital while 22 persons were treated as out patients.