VELLORE: A 13-year-old boy died early Sunday morning at the Pernambut government hospital of injuries sustained when he was attacked by a charging bull at an unauthorised bull race conducted at Kallicheri on Saturday.
Police have arrested four people for organising the event without permission. Police identified the boy as S Krishnan of Mittapalli in Pernambut. He was a Class 8 student at a local government school.
The boy was standing with other spectators near the starting line of the race at around 1.15 pm when one of the bulls charged towards the crowd instead of down the lane. As the crowd scattered, Krishnan was caught in the melee and attacked by the bull.
A senior police officer said that the boy had sustained serious injuries in his abdomen and was admitted to Pernambut GH. He is survived by his mother and two siblings. Police said only four villages - Moonjurpattu, Sivanathapuram, Panamadangi, and Kutlavaripalli - were given permission to conduct bull races on Saturday.
"The Kallicheri event took place without permission and we were not aware of it. It is mandatory for organisers to get permission to conduct races so officials can ensure proper safety and security arrangements are in place," Gudiyatham Revenue Divisional Officer S Dhananjeyan said.
A revenue official said around 30 bulls participated in the event. People from nearby villages also came to watch the race at which COVID norms were violated.
Based on a complaint from Pernambut Town Village Administrative Officer Gopinath, police booked the organisers under Sections 143, 269, 270 and 304 (2) of IPC and Section 11(1) of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. P Vedhachalam (42), M Suravel (47), R Chakkarai (69) and S Loganathan (47) were arrested and remanded in judicial custody.
Four others - Arunkumar, Mahendran, Umanath, and Dinesh - were also booked.