The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has asked the Karnataka Government to stop ‘Kambala’ — the ‘illegal’ buffalo race — a winter sport event in the rural areas along the coastal districts of Karnataka.
The buffalo race, conducted on waterlogged paddy fields, evokes large attendance and excitement among the rural folk. Despite protests by animal welfare activists, including PETA, the Government had allowed the race but had banned whipping of the animal during the race. This came after protests from people in rural areas against the ban on the spot. Even Union Minister Maneka Gandhi had opposed whipping in the race.
PETA had approached AWBI with a complaint that whichever way the race is held, it amounts to cruelty on animals and hence it be banned in the lines of ‘Jallikattu’ bull race in Tamil Nadu. The complaint to the Board PETA had said that Kambala planned in Karnataka was against the Supreme Court of India’s order banning such races that amounts to cruelty on animals.
Acting on a complaint from PETA India, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has sent a letter to the state’s chief secretary, the deputy commissioners of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts and officials in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services asking that immediate steps be taken to stop the Kambala events that are planned to be held in the state as per the Kambala calendar for the year 2015-16.
In its letter, the AWBI pointed out that the Karnataka High Court, through an interim order dated 15 December 2014, issued an interim stay on the orders of officials of the two districts, which limited the holding of Kambala to certain conditions last year.
However, on April 10 this year the Karnataka High Court dismissed those orders, stating that they can no longer be considered since the events have already been held by the organisers. This means that the orders issued by the administrations of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts prohibiting Kambala events and upholding the 7 May 2014 judgment of the Supreme Court which bans bull races in all of India were still in force and Kambala events cannot be held, a PETA release said here today.
The AWBI also emphasised that the order of officials were not limited to Kambala events organised in 2014-15 but are permanent, and the policy decision of the Ministry for law and Parliamentary Affairs of Karnataka State dated 14 November 2014 also prohibits these cruel events.
It conducted inspections of three Kambala events in during the current fiscal which resulted in the filing of 65 non-cognizable offence complaints and one first information report at local police stations.
PETA India Director of Veterinary Affairs Dr Manilal Valliyate said, “There is absolutely no room in today’s civilised society for races that involve forcing already overworked bulls to run out of fear and the threat of physical abuse, and Supreme Court has already confirmed that”. He said PETA was asking Karnataka State to uphold the law and the Supreme Court judgment and spare animals’ needless suffering.