Victory: Illegal Bull-and-Horse Races and Buffalo Fight Events Prevented in Solapur, Nagpur, and Dharashiv, Following PETA India Complaint
For Immediate Release:
24 August 2026
Contact:
Shruti Shah; [email protected]
Meet Ashar; [email protected]
Nagpur– Notified about illegal buffalo-fighting events scheduled to be held in Kamptee, Nagpur, on 5 August, and Kalamb, Dharashiv district, on 2 August, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India) immediately alerted and coordinated with the respective police authorities to prevent the unlawful events from taking place. Acting on PETA India’s complaints, the New Kamptee Police Station initiated preventive action under Sections 126 and 135(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, while the Paranda Police Station in Dharashiv issued a notice under Section 168 of the BNSS, 2023. Following police intervention, the organisers cancelled both events, sparing numerous buffaloes from abject cruelty.
In a separate matter, after discovering promotional posters advertising events scheduled for 31 July, 1 August, and 2 August featuring animal races and competitions, including bullock cart races, young bull races, horse-cart races, and horse-and-bull races, PETA India swiftly alerted law enforcement authorities in Solapur district. Following the intervention, the police warned the organisers against conducting the unlawful activities and successfully prevented the events from taking place. In addition, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Mangalvedha declined permission for the bullock cart race proposed for 1 August, noting that such races are prohibited under the Government of Maharashtra’s SOP governing bullock cart races dated 24 May 2023.
“Spectacles in which animals are forced to fight or race for human entertainment are cruel, violent, and illegal. Buffalo fights cause immense suffering and invariably result in grievous injuries, stress, and cause extreme fear. Similarly, bulls and horses used in races are forced to run through beatings, intimidation, and other cruel methods, causing them pain, distress, and exhaustion. These animals already endure considerable hardship when used for work and forcing them into dangerous competitions for entertainment is unacceptable,” says PETA India’s Legal Advisor and Director of Cruelty Response, Meet Ashar. “We commend the Nagpur, Dharashiv and Solapur police authorities for sending a clear message that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.”
Buffalo fighting involves pitting two buffalo against each other in a violent and often bloody confrontation. The animals are hit and goaded into fighting until one is deemed the winner. This practice subjects them to significant physical and psychological harm, including injuries such as fractures, puncture wounds, and severe stress.
Investigations conducted by PETA India reveal that during bullock cart races, bulls are often beaten with wooden sticks that are spiked with nails in order to get them to run faster in the sweltering heat and their tails are twisted and broken, causing them extreme pain and leaving them covered with blood.
Horses used for racing are forced to sprint, often under the threat of whips and even illegal electric-shocking devices, at speeds so fast they frequently sustain injuries and even haemorrhage from the lungs. In 2016, the Rajasthan High Court prohibited tonga races in Rajasthan after reviewing a report from the Animal Welfare Board of India. The report highlighted that horses suffer from cruelty when they are forced to run amid noisy vehicles and loud spectators, causing them fear and distress. Using animals of different species to pull the same cart violates the Prevention of Cruelty to Draught and Pack Animals Rules, 1965, notified under the PCA Act, 1960, as they operate at different speeds and have differing heights and capacities.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, prohibits inciting animals to fight with one another. In the landmark judgment Animal Welfare Board of India v. A. Nagaraja & Ors. (2014), the Hon’ble Supreme Court, while ruling in favour of the petitioners, PETA India and the Animal Welfare Board of India, clarified that animal fights, including bullfights, dogfights, and other staged contests involving animals for human entertainment, are unlawful. The Court further held that animal races fall within the ambit of animal fights, as they force animals into competitive and harmful situations that subject them to pain, distress, and a significant risk of injury.
PETA India – whose motto reads, “Animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X , Facebook, or Instagram.
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