MADURAI: Three spectators and a bull owner were gored to death and 94 others were injured at the manjuvirattu held on the eve of the Masi magam festival of Baladandhayudhapani temple at Araliparai in Sivaganga district on Friday.
Collector P Madhusudhan Reddy said the bull owner died even before the event began as the animal gored him while he was travelling with it on a mini truck. The other three were trying to catch the animals at the collection point and were not registered bull tamers, he said.
As many as 111 bulls were unleashed and 70 registered bull tamers participated in the event, which was conducted in an enclosure customary of manjuvirattu. The injured men were taken to the Sivaganga government hospital and Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai where they died. The deceased were Sethu,45, of Pudur, Ajithkumar, 26, of Athangudi, Maruthu, 40, of Namanur and Mahesh, 23, of Melavannaniruppu.
People from Mullaimangalam, Sathuvethamangalam, Kannamangalam, Seersenthamangalam and Velamangalam conduct the manjavirattu in a grand manner every year. Friday’s event was held in connection with the tenth day festivities of the temple, a tradition being followed for the past 200 years. Special pujas were performed on Friday afternoon and the temple bull was unleashed first followed by other bulls.
Madhusudhan Reddy said he had witnessed the event only for ten minutes as the elections were announced, but other officials were there to monitor it. ``All safety norms and all regulations were followed unlike the Singampunari event. It was a properly monitored event, but unfortunately the deaths happened at the collection point when the bulls ran out without being caught,’’ he said.