Even as Kambala - slush race of pairs of he-buffaloes - is banned in Udupi district, the sporting event involving the animals can go on in Dakshina Kannada as usual, according to Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim.
Mr. Ibrahim told The Hindu on Tuesday that there is no ambiguity on the issue and there was no ban. He has neither received any order from the State Government on banning it nor was there any communication received in this regard from Animal Welfare Board of India.
To a question, Mr. Ibrahim said there was no mention of Kambala in the Supreme Court regarding Jallikattu and “I cannot make an interpretation and ban Kambala,” he said.
Mr. Ibrahim did not agree with the view of the animal welfare activists that the very act of making buffaloes run amounted to cruelty to them. “It is their interpretation”, he said.
On Sunday, Deputy Director, Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences here Thippeswamy was quoted in The Hindu saying “We will have to ban the sport and any other tradition that involves using animals as entertainment. Allowing this would amount to contempt of court and violation of the Supreme Court order.” The same day Law minister T.B. Jayachandra maintained that no decision had been taken yet on the issue.
The Supreme Court had, in its May 7 order, said that, “...Bulls cannot be used as performing animals, either for the Jallikattu events or Bullock-cart Races in the State of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra or elsewhere in the country”.