Deeg Police Register Two FIRs and Rescue Eight Roosters Used in Illegal Cockfighting Events, Following PETA India Complaints
In a crackdown on illegal animal fighting events, Deeg police registered two first information reports (FIRs) in recent weeks against two separate illegal cockfighting events and rescued eight abused roosters, following complaints by PETA India.
Acting on a tip-off about an active cockfighting event in Pahari, Deeg, PETA India alerted authorities, prompting Pahari police officials to intervene and halt the fight mid-way. Following PETA India’s complaint, an FIR was registered against seven individuals under Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; Sections 11(1)(m) and 11(2) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 and Section 13 of the Rajasthan Public Gambling Ordinance, 1949.
Similarly, in August, Kaithwara police, acting on a complaint by PETA India, registered an FIR against seven people involved in a cockfighting event in Challa Bass, Kaithwara, exposed through a Facebook Live video. Following a two-week investigation, police traced the birds’ owner on 22 August.
The Facebook videos exposed the horrific cruelty in the Kaithwara event in which terrified roosters, fitted with blades on their feet, were forced to attack each other while a referee provoked them with a bamboo stick. Spectators openly gambled as the bloodied birds were repeatedly forced to continue.
The Deeg Police have entrusted PETA India with the rehabilitation of the seized roosters. The animals have now reached a reputed sanctuary, where they will live their lives in safety and care.
Cockfighting events are inherently cruel, dangerous and encourage gambling and violence in society. We commend the Deeg police, especially Shri Om Prakash Meena, IPS, Superintendent of Police, Deeg; Shri Kailash Chand Gurjar, Station House Officer, Kaithwara police station and Shri Yogendra Singh, Station House Officer, Pahari police station, for sending a strong message that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.
Forced to fight, roosters used in cockfights suffer injuries like punctured lungs, broken bones and pierced eyes. Their legs are often fitted with razor-sharp steel blades that have even killed and injured cockfighters and spectators. Illegal cockfighting events are associated with gambling and liquor consumption and are a menace in more ways than one. The transport and handling of roosters for cockfights significantly heightens the risk of spreading deadly bird flu, endangering public health.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 prohibits inciting animals to fight. In a landmark judgment in 2014, the Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of the petitioners, PETA India, and the government advisory body, the Animal Welfare Board of India, establishing that bullfighting, dogfighting, and any other staged fights between animals, including between humans and other animals, for entertainment, must end.
