Kakinada: In spite of warnings by officials in the last four days, cockfights were
conducted on a large scale in the two erstwhile East and West Godavari districts on the Bhogi Day without any interruption.
Only at Valasapakala in Kakinada Rural Mandal, the police headed by Kakinada DSP P. Muralikrishna Reddy, scattered the mob and destroyed the cockfight ground and took some of the gamblers to the police station.
Clashes erupted between two groups in cockfight grounds at Chidiga village in Kakinada Rural mandal. However, the organisers controlled the situation. Undi MLA Manthena Ramaraju attended a cockfight at Theethali village in Kalla mandal in West Godavari district.
Crores of bettings were placed in cockfights organised in West Godavari, Kakinada and Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema districts. Organisers of gundaata (dice) gamblers spent Rs 75 lakh to buy a ground at Geddanapalli to conduct their games.
In Denduluru in Eluru district, former MLA Chintamaneni Prabhakar followers participated on a large scale. The organisers of the cockfights at PedavAmiram village arranged several facilities including caravans for VIPs.
A person, who was arrested by police for participating in the cockfight, created threatening to commit suicide if he was arrested alone and demanded the police to act against all those participated in cockfights, gundata and playing cards.
Many locals supported him and alleged that the police are arresting innocent persons to show cases under Gambling Act, while sparing the real gamblers.
By Sunday evening, all the cockfight grounds became blood-pools of prized cocks. Some of the prize-cocks died and winning prize cocks were auctioned in the grounds. Many of the food stalls with vegetarian and non-vegetarian have fetched good income and liquor was sold in large quantities.
