Mangaluru: The Union government on Thursday told the High Court of Karnataka to allow Kambala — a traditional slush track buffalo race — to be conducted for now, at the two coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, but with some riders.
However, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has opposed the traditional sport, claiming that the race amounted to “cruelty”.
Assistant Solicitor General of India Krishna S. Dixit, who appeared for the Union government, suggested some conditions. These included, not subjecting buffaloes to cruelty, not mutilating their body parts or applying irritant solutions on their body to make them run faster; and to providing them with proper food and water.
He also suggested that all the Kambala events could be entirely videographed to monitor whether any provision of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act (PCA) was being violated. “There is no scientific study or expert view on the impact of the race on the buffaloes, unlike the detailed investigative reports prepared on ‘Jallikattu’ (bullfight), he argued before the court.
Dixit also pointed out that the apex court banned Jallikattu as extreme pain was inflicted on bulls before they were made to run. The manner in which the buffaloes are used in Kambala cannot be compared to Jallikattu.
The PCA Act only prevents infliction of “unnecessary” pain or suffering on animals, but does not totally prevent infliction of pain on animals, Dixit said. He gave example of the law which permits killing and said that using a cane to “guide” cannot be termed as cruelty as farmers too use canes on buffaloes during ploughing.
Meanwhile, AWBI counsel C.K. Nandakumar argued that the apex court’s verdict is clearly applicable for Kambala as making buffaloes run amounted to cruelty as buffaloes too belong to the same family of animals as bulls. Justice S. Abdul Nazeer has reserved his verdict.
(With inputs from The Hindu)?
