Preparations Begin for Rooster Fights in AP's Coastal Districts
Bhimavaram DSP Raghuvir Vishnu told reporters that they have so far bounded over about 500 persons from the area. He said there will be no problem if the traditional sport is organised without tying knives and betting.
Kakinada: With the Sankranti season nearing, organisers of fights between roosters have started preparing the arenas for conducting the traditional sport in a grand manner in the districts of Kakinada, Konaseema, Eluru, and East and West Godavari districts.
The preparations are going on smoothly compared to last year, when police had campaigned against cockfights, which are banned. Police had then seized cockfight knives and dismantled the arrangements made for enthusiasts to witness the fight-to-finish between roosters whose legs are tied with lethal knives.
In West Godavari and Konaseema districts, preparations for the fights are in full swing at multiple locations. Undi MLA and State Legislative Assembly deputy speaker K. Raghu Ramakrishnam Raju has asserted in courts that cockfights are a traditional sport and must be allowed.
According to him, there is no fault in organising fights between roosters without tying knives to the birds’ feet and with no betting.
It is for all to see the grounds being prepared at Gollavanithippa Road, Taderu, Narsingapuram, Kovvada-Annavaram, Palakollu, Narsapuram and other areas in West Godavari district and Muramalla, Katrenikona, Geddanapalli, Pallamkurru, G. Vemavaram, Godilanka, and Mummidivaram in Konaseema district.
Muramalla, Gollavanithippa Road, Taderu, Narsingapuram, and K. Annavaram are said to be major centres of rooster fights, where many enthusiasts gather from different parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
It is a matter of prestige for individuals who organise the rooster fights in these areas, as they call it a traditional sport.
Bhimavaram DSP Raghuvir Vishnu told reporters that they have so far bounded over about 500 persons from the area. He said there will be no problem if the traditional sport is organised without tying knives and betting.