New Delhi (Sputnik) —Four people have been killed in separate incidents since the beginning of ‘Jallikattu' on January 14 in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The latest casualty occurred on Tuesday in Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu, when raging bulls killed two spectators. Fifty-six others were injured in the commotion that ensued.
The accident occurred when some villagers suddenly let loose unregistered bulls into the official venue at Sivaganga that was to host only trained bulls, according to the local administration. Police said that bulls started running into the gathering of approximately 25,000 after they were booed by the crowd.
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At another venue in Tiruchi district, a 25-year-old spectator was gored to death by the rampaging bulls, while 60 others sustained injuries. On Monday, a 19-year-old was killed in Palamedu in Madurai.
In 2014, India's highest court banned the sport after declaring it to be an act of "inherent cruelty". The ban, however, didn't go down well with local political parties, who submitted a review petition, which the Court dismissed. The central government in 2016 issued a notification banning the sport.
In January 2017, the central government tried to stop the traditional festival in consonance with the apex court's order but the effort encountered violent protests among the people of Tamil Nadu. Later in the month, the Tamil Nadu government passed an ordinance revoking the ban, paving the way for the festival to be held in the harvest season of January 2018.
The question of whether it is within the authority of a local government to challenge the decisions of the federal government is currently being examined by the judiciary.