Many police stations in East Godavari district are currently filled up with the roosters seized from various cockfight arenas during the recent Sankranti festivities.
This is an annual phenomenon and for the police the birds are guests as well as the accused.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, allows the police to seize the roosters and arrest their owners and organisers of cockfights.
A whopping 988 roosters have been seized in the district beginning from January 15 and more than half of them were from the Konaseema region which is considered as the hub for cockfights drawing punters from across South India during the festive season.
Amalapuram DSP Y. Madhav Reddy told The Hindu that the seized roosters would be produced before the respective local courts for further proceedings and auctioned under the aegis of the court.
Until then, the care of the roosters becomes the responsibility of the staff of the police stations.
Amalapuram rural police station staff said as the roosters could not be put in the station cells, they were keeping them safely at other places on the station campus.
