40 bull-tamers injured in jallikattu

At least 40 bull-tamers were injured in the jallikkattu held near here Sunday.

A total of 740 bulls and 1,700 tamers from across Tamil Nadu took part in the sport.

This was the second edition of jallikattu (taming of the bull) organised here. The event was inaugurated by the state Municipal Administration Minister S P Velumani.

There were over 40,000 spectators.

Of the injured, 20 were admitted to various hospitals while the rest were treated as outpatients, official sources said.

A few bulls too sustained minor injuries, they said.

Karthik of Madurai, who tamed 13 bulls, was adjudged as the best tamer and he received a car, a motorcycle and two housing plots.

Before the event began, a two-minute silence was observed as a mark of respect to the 40 CRPF personnel who lost their lives in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, talking to reporters, the Minister said the traditional sport of Tamil Nadu was held on 300 acres of land and nearly 2,500 police personnel were deployed for security.

He said jallikattu was organised by the district administration and Coimbatore Jallikattu Federation which arranged facilities, including an ambulance and a 15-member team of doctors to provide first aid for the injured.