India’s jallikattu, a traditional bullfight in which men compete to subdue cattle without killing them, has caused serious damage with one person killed and dozens injured, local police said Monday. Discover the peculiarities of this discipline.
More than 2,000 years old, the Jallikattu tradition, which marks the start of the winter harvest, is one of the world’s oldest sporting competitions.
The goal is not to kill the bull. The animals were decorated and the men competed in skill to force them to stop and remove the pennant from their horns. This sporting event has caused many injuries to both competitors and the public in the past.
On Saturday 14 January, a man in his twenties died from his injuries after being gored in the Madurai district of the southern state of Tamil Nadu. A total of 31 people were injured during the celebrations, according to local police. According to media outlet India Today, 15 people were also injured on Saturday during a traditional competition in the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh.
They were banned by India’s Supreme Court in 2014 but the government of Tamil Nadu managed to lift the ban in 2017, after protests in favor of this local tradition. Animal welfare campaigners say the bulls are given alcohol before competition.
