PETA India Files Petition in Gauhati High Court Over Illegal Buffalo Fights in Assam
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has taken legal action by moving the Gauhati High Court, alleging severe cruelty in illegal buffalo fights conducted across various parts of Assam during the Magh Bihu festival in January. The organization is seeking urgent judicial intervention and accountability for these unlawful events.
Allegations of Severe Animal Cruelty and Injuries
In a detailed press statement, PETA India presented documentation from illegal buffalo fight events held this year in Morigaon and Nagaon districts. The evidence reportedly shows blood-soaked buffaloes with gaping open wounds being subjected to near-constant beatings with thick sticks during the fights. Additionally, the animals were allegedly yanked by nose ropes to force them into combat, resulting in severe injuries. The documentation also captured an incident where a man was pummelled by a fleeing buffalo, highlighting the dangers of such events.
Violation of Supreme Court and High Court Orders
This legal move comes after the Gauhati High Court, in December 2024, quashed the Assam government's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued on December 27, 2023. That SOP had permitted buffalo and bulbul bird fights during a specific time of the year. The High Court ruled that the SOP violated the landmark judgment passed by the Supreme Court on May 7, 2014, in the case of Animal Welfare Board of India versus A Nagaraja, which prohibits animal spectacles involving inherent cruelty.
Despite these clear judicial directives, illegal buffalo fights were organized in Assam earlier this year, seemingly under the very nose of the authorities, PETA India stated. The organization emphasized that it had submitted multiple representations to concerned district and police authorities in advance, warning that these events would constitute blatant violations of statutory duties and contempt of court.
Inadequate Legal Action and FIR Registrations
PETA India further reported that it filed numerous formal complaints against the organizers of these illegal fights. However, only two First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered in Sivasagar and Nagaon under various charges of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The organization expressed concern that FIRs were not registered for complaints regarding illegal fight events that took place in several other locations, including Ahatguri, Gormori Gaon, Mikirbheta, Roha, Majrahola Dal Pathar, and Dibrugarh.
The petition seeks not only accountability for the unlawful events that have already occurred but also immediate intervention to prevent any future events from being held in open defiance of High Court orders and the Supreme Court's judgment. PETA India's action underscores ongoing challenges in enforcing animal welfare laws and judicial mandates in the region.
