Karna govt to allow "Kambala" with riders after court verdict

The Karnataka government will allow conducting of Kambala, traditional buffalo racing on slush tracks, in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, but with certain riders in line with the High Court verdict, Minister for Law T B Jayachandra said here today.

The court had quashed the Deputy Commissioner's ban on Kambala in the two districts with Justice S Abdul Nazeer passing an interim order allowing the race with some riders, including not subjecting the animals to any kind of cruelty.

The other conditions laid down by the court yesterday are -the animals should not be tortured, tormented, stabbed or beaten and no irritant solution should be used on them, Jayachandra said.

Replying to BJP's Sunil Kumar's demand for asking the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district administration to withdraw the ban on Kambala, Jayachandra said the Deputy Commissioner does not have powers on the matter, but had acted on a letter by the Animal Welfare Board of India, stating that the Supreme Court had banned Jallikattu, a bullfight in Tamil Nadu.

Jayachandra said the power to lift the ban on Kambala, instead rests with the AWBI, not with the Deputy Commissioner.

The court, in the interim order, had observed that Kambala was banned without taking the views of the experts as was done in the case of Jallikattu.