Death toll in Jallikkattu (bull taming) continued unabated in rural Tamil Nadu as one more tamer was gored to death on Wednesday by a violent bull in a village in Dindigul district. Paul Raj (25) a bull tamer had a fatal stand-off with a bull as he tried to bring the animal under control in order to win the gold coins at stake. The gruesome incident occurred in front of hundreds of people who had thronged the village to witness the event.
Though the Government or the district administration did not come out with any statements, animal rights activists on condition of anonymity told this newspaper that at least 15 persons have lost their lives in this year’s edition of Jallikkattu till Wednesday. “There is every chance of the death toll hitting the three-digit mark as this year’s Jallikkattu events will go up to July. Earlier, the events used to conclude by early March,” said Antony Reuben, an animal rights activist in Nilgiris.
Though no animal causalities were reported on Wednesday, live pictures beamed by various Tamil news channels showed the animals being subjected to unprecedented cruelties. As per the guidelines prescribed by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals State that only one person should try to tame the animal, we could see at least six persons jumping on to an animal in order to tame it. They hang on to the bull despite the directions from the announcer to leave the animal,” said another activist from Dindigul.
The rekla (bullock cart) events being held in various villages in the State also saw the animals being subjected to worst cruelty. “The riders of the carts hit the bulls with rods and canes throughout the race to make them run faster. At the end of the race we could see the back of all the animals soaked with blood. This is an open violation of the rules of the game,” said Jayaraj (name changed) who closely observed the rekla events held in Coimbatore and Trichy districts.