The State government has issued a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be followed for the conduct of ‘jallikattu’ in 2026.
The traditional event involving bulls is conducted from January during the Pongal festivities and goes on till May every year. The SOP is to be followed by the district administration, officials of various government departments, organisers and the participants.
The duties and responsibilities of the district administration, the Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, revenue, animal husbandry, health, public works, police and fire and rescue services departments besides those of the organising committees, bull owners and participants have been clearly spelt out in the SOP communicated to all District Collectors.
Video recording and documentation of the events, prior arrangements, creation of awareness among stakeholders on the need to comply with the rules and a detailed compliance report after the completion of every event have also been specified in the SOP.
One of the responsibilities of the Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services is to issue necessary guidelines and instructions and prepare a model layout for the safe conduct of jallikattu and processing applications received from the Collectors requesting notification for the events.
The district administration, under the chairmanship of the Collector, should form a committee comprising officials of various departments to oversee, monitor and ensure that the events are conducted in conformity with the prescribed rules. The Collector shall explain the rules and regulations and distribute copies of the SOP.
On no account is jallikattu to be permitted in places other than the ones notified by the government. Any deviation would be treated as illegal and severe criminal action taken against individuals responsible for such illegalities.
The event organisers should obtain prior permission from the government through the Collector by making a request in writing or through online well in advance of the event mentioning the proposed place and the date. They should also mention the maximum number of bulls to be permitted.
The Animal Husbandry department should examine the location and depute veterinary teams and subject the bulls to veterinary examination. The bulls should be specifically examined for possible alcohol abuse. A veterinary team should be deployed in the collection yard to provide necessary medical assistance to the bulls that completed the run.
The Health Department should subject the tamers to a fitness check to detect any drug or alcohol intake besides providing first aid to the injured or rush them to a nearby hospital if needed. The tamers should be above the age of 18 years and register themselves before taking part.
Double barricading of the arena to a minimum height of eight feet to deter bulls from leaping over the barricades is another requirement. Adequate number of police personnel should be deployed and they should ensure that the bull collection yard was free from spectators and onlookers.
The annual events in the central region are held in Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Ariyalur, Perambalur and Karur with the maximum number of events being organised in Pudukottai district.
Curated by James Chen
