Chennai, Jan 15 (IANS): The Palamedu Jallikattu in Madurai was flagged off by Tamil Nadu ministers, P.T.R. Thiagarajan and P. Moorthy on Saturday at 8 a.m. in presence of Madurai district collector, Aneesh Rajan.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has sponsored a car for the winner of the Jallikattu festival with the second prize winner getting a two-wheeler sponsored by the DMK youth wing leader and Chief Minister's son, Udayanidhi Stalin.

At least 700 bulls and 300 tamers are participating in the event held in strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols. The bulls and tamers were selected through randomization and issued a slip containing a QR code.

There will be 10 rounds in the competition with one hour for each round and 50 tamers who have taken double dose vaccination and an RT-PCR negative certificate are participating in each round.

Four people were injured including two bull owners and all were taken to the nearby hospitals and given preliminary medication. After seven rounds, the bull owners and tamers were awarded gold coins, home appliances, bicycles, clothes, sweet boxes, and cash prizes.

More than a thousand police personnel are deployed for the Palamedu Jallikattu festival at various points to prevent any untoward incident and also to ensure that strict Covid-19 protocols are maintained.

An 11-member veterinary doctors' team is also present at the Jallikattu area for treating the bulls if some medication is required. Members of the Indian Red Cross society are also volunteering to remove the injured tamers and bull owners.

It may be noted that on Friday during Pongal a 19-year-old spectator was gored to death by a bull near the finish line at the Avaniyapuram Jallikattu festival in Madurai. On Saturday at the Periya Suriyar Jallikattu festival at Tiruchi, a 27-year-old youth, Meenakshisundaram was gored to death.