The Andhra Pradesh police have tightened the vigil on cockfights, the banned traditional sport during the Sankranti, as the festival is nearing.
The police have intensified raids on rooster tamers, knife makers, punters, people who lease out their land for setting up cockfight arenas and habitual offenders having connections with the banned sport.
The Station House Officers (SHOs) are conducting raids against organising cockfights, manufacturing knives and taming different species of fowls for the fight in villages.
The police have registered about 5,000 cases against the cockfight and gambling organisers and punters in Eluru, West Godavari, East Godavari, Konaseema, NTR and Krishna districts in the last several years.
“We give names to the rooster before taming them. The birds are trained for improving stamina, attack and escape techniques required for the fight in villages,” said Veeravasaram, a rooster tamer.
Cockfight organisers set up arenas, make-shift shops, fast food centres, digital screens and comfortable seating arrangements. They also set up liquor outlets and gambling dens at the venues for cockfight.
Despite the ban, visitors from neighbouring States, film actors, realtors and businessmen book rooms in hotels and lodges in advance and invest huge amounts on cockfights.
Bound-over offenders
Instructions have been issued to the police officers to intensify raids to check the unlawful activities, Eluru Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) G.V.G. Ashok Kumar told The Hindu on December 17 (Sunday)
“The police, in association with the officers of other enforcement departments, will conduct awareness programmes in villages against cockfights,” the DIG said.
Officers have planned to organise kabaddi, volleyball, cricket, kho-kho and other sports and games in villages during the Sankranti festival to wean away youth from these banned sport.
West Godavari Superintendent of Police (SP) U. Ravi Prakash said that instructions had been issued to the DSPs, CIs and the SIs to keep a strict vigil on cockfight organisers, knife manufacturers and the habitual offenders.
“We have started binding over of the cockfight organisers, punters and gamblers in Narsapuram, Bhimavaram, Veeravasaram, Palakol, Mogalturu and other areas,” Mr. Ravi Prakash said.
Following the directions of Eluru SP D. Mary Prasanthi, a police team led by Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) Additional SP N. Suryachandra Rao conducted a raid on a workshop at Appanaveedu in Pedapadu mandal on December 14. The team seized 1,421 knives used in cockfights, machines and raw material, all worth about ₹3 lakh, and arrested a person identified as Nadakuduru Naga Brahmam.
“We are maintaining a strict vigil at Pulapalli, Vissakoderu, Pedapulipaka, Gudivada, Bhimavaram, Kalla, Korukallu, Undi, Denduluru, Mudinepalli, Kalidindi, Kaikalur, Palakol, Dindi, Razole and other places where cockfights were organised earlier,” a police officer said.
