Raging bull leaves many critically hurt near Bengaluru's HAL

Triggering panic, a mad bull ran amok on the streets of Annasandrapalya and L B Shastri Nagar near HAL, wounding several people on Friday and Saturday. The condition of one of the victims, 45-year-old labourer, Gurunatha is critical. The bull was later cornered and killed by the public.

Eyewitnesses said the bull knocked down several people on Friday afternoon on Annasandrapalya Main Road. At least five people were wounded in the attack. But the bull was left to roam on the crowded street while the injured were hospitalised.

On Friday afternoon at about 3 pm, it was spotted again on the road linking Annasandrapalya to Shastri Nagar. The raging bull hit Gurunatha, a labourer engaged in drain work, from behind. A video shared on social media showed that he lost consciousness immediately.

The bull could be seen shuffling and rolling his body with its horns. Even as onlookers screamed and tried to chase it away, the bull stood its ground. Ravi Gowda, who had witnessed the attack, recalled later that few dared to go anywhere close. Another youth said he barely escaped, and could see the entire drama unfold.

Surfacing yet again on Shastri Nagar 2nd Cross Road on Saturday morning, the bull first attacked a woman. Before it could pin her down, onlookers chased it away. She wriggled out in pain and was carried away by family members who stayed close-by.

As the bull entered the busy Shastri Nagar Main Road, it was chased with rods by dozens of people. It was cornered, mowed down, tied and the body dumped on the roadside. Neither the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) personnel nor the police were at the spot.

It is suspected that the bull was bitten by a rabid dog. However, this could not be immediately confirmed. Residents complained that cattle were left to roam free on all the roads in the area. This always created a nuisance for both motorists and pedestrians. The bull run has now added a violent dimension to the problem.

Gurunatha was shifted to a private hospital in Kaggadasapura. The HAL police later visited his family put up in a slum in Annasandrapalya. His daughter feared that his wounds could be fatal. The family from Kalaburagi was part of a community of labourers staying in makeshift tents on a vacant site.