As usual, cockfights began at several places during Sankranti festival. Organisers made elaborate arrangements for the rooster fights.
Punters argue that cockfights can be conducted without tying knives to the birds, and there was no ban. However, public representatives stayed away from rooster fights on the Bhogi day on Monday. Rooster fights started after performing ‘pujas’ at the rings.
Lavish arrangements
The organisers erected huge tents, galleries, digital screens, fast food centres, hotels, parking lots, public addressing systems, flood lights and refreshments for the participants. The competitions were conducted till late in the night on the first day of the festival.
Police conducted raids on several cockfight arenas for the last few days. They seized roosters and knives and removed tents in some villages.
Cockfights began on a grand scale at Edupugallu, Kankipadu, Pulipaka, Vuyyuru, Gudivada, Machilipatnam, Bapulapadu, Gollapudi, Bhavanipuram, Ibrahimpatnam, Kalidindi, Korukallu, and other places in Krishna district.
Hundreds of fowls, specially trained for the competitions, were brought to the arenas. Roosters, ready for the fights, were seen tied to the trees in the orchards.
Villagers were enjoying cockfights on Krishna-West Godavari borders and many coconut orchards and the island villages were decked up for the competitions. With police conducting raids, organisers arranged cockfight rings in some tiny hamlets.
Police imposed Section 144 and booked bind over cases on organisers. They arranged banners urging people not to organise cockfights, which were banned. Still, many green fields turned into cockfight arenas and heavy rush was seen at the rings.
Ignoring police warnings, cockfights were bring organised in a big way. Many farmers were seen thronging the cockfight rings with the fowls. Visitors from different parts of the State and from Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and other States arrived in the coastal districts to enjoy cockfights.
Several arenas were arranged in Krishna district and the organisers made tight security with private persons.
In some places, family members, including children and women, were seen enjoying rooster fights. Villagers are conducting ‘pottella pandelu’, bullock cart competitions and ‘banda lagudu’ at villages .
It is said that the organisers held discussions with some public representatives, to prevent ‘hurdles’ for conducting cockfights during Sankranti.
