TIRUCHY: A 16-year-old boy was gored to death while 53 others sustained injuries during the jallikattu organised as part of the birthday celebrations of Chief Minister M K Stalin on the campus of the Jamal Mohamed College of Teacher Education in Khajamalai on Wednesday.
The choice of venue also drew criticism after the densely-populated locality witnessed an hours-long traffic pile-up and bulls brought for the event were found precariously tethered by the roadside. I Pradeep, son of a mason from Alagapuri in Thogamalai of Karur district and a Class 11 student, was catching the action at the event organised by the Khajamalai Jallikattu Peravai when a bull gored him to death at the collection point.
While he was taken to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH), he was declared dead on arrival. Of the 53 people who sustained injuries during the event, 13 were hospitalised with serious injuries. Further, a bull also died during the jallikattu, sources said.
A total of 550 tamers tried their hand at taming the 690 bulls released during the event. While revenue department officials confirmed that the event was conducted with the Tamil Nadu government’s permission, the choice of venue in a densely populated area surrounded by educational institutions and having roads like the Race Course Road leading to the district collector's camp office has drawn flak.
Further, local residents alleged that bulls were tethered along the road leading to the venue using temporary barricades and posts, and added that some of them even broke free, triggering panic. Local shopkeepers said that the bulls became uncontrollable at several points, even as owners struggled in groups to restrain them.
Ghouse Baig, a resident of Khajamalai, said that he had raised safety concerns when the event was first proposed to be held at Anna Stadium. "We warned that holding such a large-scale event in a residential area would be risky.
This is a busy stretch with colleges and offices, and the bull exit point was dangerously close to houses. Whatever issues we flagged have now happened," he said. It may be noted that the venue where the jallikattu was held is opposite Anna Stadium.
A student of the Thanthai Periyar Government Arts & Science College complained that the entry to his campus from Race Course Road was blocked. The Students' Federation of India (SFI) in a statement said dangerous events like jallikattu should not be conducted near educational institutions and crowded public areas. It demanded a thorough probe and strict action against those responsible in the event of safety lapses.
Meanwhile, Pradeep's grieving mother Anjumathi told TNIE that her son had gone to watch the event without informing the family. The K K Nagar police have registered a case over the death of the teenager and are investigating the circumstances leading to the incident.