Fact Check: Will Russian President Vladimir Putin attend Jallikattu in 2020?

The claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be visiting Tamil Nadu in 2020 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend Jallikattu in Madhurai is false. The social media was taken by storm when several regional and national websites misreported the claim that the Russian president will attend the famous bull-taming sport during Pongal celebrations. 

News reports

Several reports on news websites like OpIndia reported, "Putin may attend the bull-taming festival, Jallikattu in Madhurai, Tamil Nadu in January 2020." Later the story was updated, "News has now emerged that media reports of Russian President Vladimir Putin attending Jallikattu in Madurai along with Prime Minister Modi are false. No such event has been organised."

Another website, MyNation also reported, "Tamil Nadu is all ready to host Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. If reports are to be believed, he will be in Tamil Nadu in January 2020."

Verification

ANI, the wire news agency also cleared the air about no such program had been scheduled. Apart from Press Information Bureau (PIB) Gujarat took to Twitter to dismiss any reports that Modi and Putin would attend Jallikattu in Madurai in January 2020, calling the reports, "fake news".

Jallikattu

Played during Pongal celebrations, Jallikattu is a bull-taming sport where the bull is left loose into the crowd of people while the people compete to take control of the bull by holding its hump.  The term is derived from the word Salli, which means coins in Tamil and Kattu means package. So the bag of coins is tied around the horns of the bull which the participant try to grasp. 

Earlier in 2016, the Supreme court banned the sport after a plea by animal rights groups after the death of several participants. But the verdict was overturned as the Tamil Nadu government insisting on Jallikattu as it is an integral part of the culture.