Andhra Pradesh top cop vows no cockfights this year

Hyderabad: Though pressure has been mounting on the TD government from not only its own party leaders, but also from leaders of its ally BJP in Guntur, Krishna and the Godavari districts to permit cockfights during Sank-ranti, director-general of police J.V. Ramudu has said the police will not allow the sport this year at any cost.  MPs and MLAs of these districts themselves are coming under pressure from the people in general and king makers in particular to allow cockfights.

TD Rajahmundry MP Maganti Murali Mohan had announced that he had appealed to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to declare Sankranti as a state festival and allow cockfights during the four days. Narsapur MP Gokaraju Ranga Raju, Eluru MP Maganti Babu, and MPs from Krishna and Guntur were also said have appealed to the CM.

Some of the MLAs from these districts also reportedly urged the CM to instruct the police to take a lenient view on the game at least for three days by allowing it without fitting metal gaffs to the legs of roosters. Otherwise they have to face the ire of the people, they said.

Mr Ramudu told this correspondent: “Last year there was some ambiguity with regard to the Supreme Court’s status quo order. This year lifting the ban on the Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu by the Centre will put some pressure on the police.” But we are firm on implementing the court orders without yielding to pressure.”

He said “We are taking preventive measures such as identifying the organisers of cock fighting and gambling, blacksmiths who manufacture knives and those who tie knives to the cocks, cock breeders, and offenders involved in these activities.”

He said the police had raided a cock breeding point in West Godavari where they have found a huge number of fighting cocks. Meanwhile, reports received from coastal districts indicate that despite stiff warnings from police and court orders, the organisers are arranging cockfight rings at various places in the districts.