Chennai: Despite Supreme Court ban, jallikattu was held at different parts of Tamil Nadu. Even strong police presence at places famous for holding the event could not stop jallikattu enthusiasts from unleashing bulls in presence of hundreds of spectators.
At Alanganallur in Madurai district, the most popular destination for the bull-taming event, police thwarted attempts to hold the sport. Police blocked all entrances to the jallikattu 'arenas' in the village and kept vigil on the houses of bull owners. Despite the effort, jallikattu enthusiasts unleashed three bulls into a crowd in the morning but police promptly stopped the event and dispersed the crowd. Shops remained closed as a mark of protest, and several residents hoisted black flags outside their houses.
At Trichy district, however, police were only partly successful in upholding the ban on jallikattu. At Adhavathur village, villagers set up a makeshift 'Vadivaasal' (from where the bulls are let loose) at the centre of the village. As many as 50 bulls were unleashed from there before the police could rush to the spot and stop the event midway. Muthapudaiyanpatti, near Manapparai on the outskirts of Trichy, also witnessed the event with the organisers unleashing around five bulls. On getting information, police rushed to the spot and halted the event.
Similarly the event was held at Namakkal, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri and Erode districts. At Tammampatti in Salem district, villagers led 50 bulls to the local temple to conduct a puja. After the puja, the bulls were suddenly unleashed. However, the event was stopped by police after some struggle.
