High-stakes cock fights in full swing in Andhra amid Sankranthi festivities

Hyderabad: The high-stakes and bloody sport of rooster fights is taking place in the Godavari and Krishna delta region of Andhra Pradesh as the Sankranthi festivities kicked off with Bhogi on Monday.

Several parts of the combined Godavari and Krishna districts have seen the emergence of 'Baris,' or fighting and betting arenas, where punters are betting hundreds of crores of rupees on the razor-equipped fighter roosters.

Casino-style gambling activities, along with cockfights, have quietly emerged in many places. Reports indicate that the entry fees for gambling camps range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000. They have set up liquor shops indiscriminately at all locations. Across the combined West Godavari district, bundles of currency are changing hands in cockfights. Large crowds have gathered at major arenas in Seesali and Peda Amiram in Kalla Mandal, I Bhimavaram, Akiveedu, and Mahadevpatnam, as well as in Duggirala in the Eluru district.

In some places, motorcycles are being given as prizes to rooster fight winners. In addition to cockfights, locals conduct extensive dice games known as 'gundata'. Large cock-fighting arenas have sprung up in the Vijayawada and Krishna districts. Areas surrounding Vijayawada city, including Ramavarapadu, Nunna, Gannavaram, and Ampapuram, now host arenas.

The arenas are openly announcing the fights. Handlers are releasing roosters fitted with knives into the arenas. For those who haven't brought cash, the arena organizers have arranged for on the spot cash facilities. The organizers have also set up galleries for spectators. In the outskirts of Vijayawada city, cockfights are raging in areas like Ramavarapadu, Nunna Gannavaram, Kotturu Tadepalli, and Pamula Kaluva. Alcohol is being sold right at the arenas.

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, under sections 11(1)(m)(ii), makes it an offence to incite animal fights. Organising, keeping, using or acting in the management of any place for animal fighting or permitting or offering any place to be used for such purpose is a cognisable offence under section 11(1)(n) of the Act. In addition to the cruelty inflicted on these birds, cockfighting events are intrinsically linked with gambling, and the arenas also serve as a focal point for various other illegal activities such as the sale of illicit liquor.

"People risk their hard-earned money in the bets on such fights. Every year the betting runs into thousands of crores. Cockfighting events pander to child labour and expose them to extreme violence against animals. Children are often used to deliver liquor from stalls at the animal fighting arenas. They are also forced to slaughter and butcher the dead or dying birds. Such activities have profound implications for their physical and mental well-being. Such illegal events also pose a significant risk to the safety of those present. In 2023, at two different places, two people succumbed to wounds caused by knives tied on roosters. The crowded arenas and the ensuing fights over bets injure several people,” said an animal rights activist.

Incidentally, the Andhra Pradesh High Court banned violence in cockfights last year. On January 13, 2024, a bench comprising Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice R. Raghunandan Rao declared that cockfights are an act of cruelty against animals and that such violence must be stopped. The bench directed district collectors, especially those in East and West Godavari, Krishna, and Guntur districts, to follow previous guidelines issued by the High Court to curb cockfights.

Though there are approximately 20–30 varieties of roosters used in cockfighting, five of them—pacha, benaki dega, kaaki nemali, setu, and kaaki dega—are in high demand. These five varieties are well-known for their fierce fighting abilities. These varieties range in price from Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 each. A fighting rooster, which arrives at the weekly shandy market a month before Sankranthi, costs Rs 6,000.