Victory: Two Illegal Horse Races and One Ram Fight Event Prevented in Kolhapur, Following PETA India Complaint.
Upon receiving two promotional posters advertising an illegal ram fight scheduled for 8 May in Donavade, Karveer Taluka, and unauthorized horse and horse-cart races scheduled for 8 and 10 May in Bhadgaon, Taluka Gadhinglaj—both in Kolhapur—PETA India promptly and successfully took action to stop the illegal events by notifying and collaborating with Kolhapur police. Police intervened in the nick of time and prevented the events from taking place.
Following a request from PETA India, the Gadhinglaj police station issued a notice under Section 168 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, to organisers of horse and horse cart races, to prevent the unlawful activities. The organisers of the illegal ram fight event were summoned to Karveer police station and were made to give a written statement that they would not conduct this illegal event.
Spectacles in which animals are forced to fight, or race, are cruel, violent, and illegal. Ram fights and horse cart races inflict enormous suffering on animals, including causing physical injuries and psychological trauma. We commend Kolhapur police, especially Deputy Superintendent of Police, Karveer, Shri Sujitkumar Kshirsagar, and Deputy Superintendent of Police, Gadhinglaj, Shri Ramdas Ingwale, for sending a message that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.
Ram fighting involves pitting two male sheep 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.
Horses used for racing are forced to sprint through whippings and weapons at speeds so fast they frequently sustain injuries and can 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 compelled to run amid noisy vehicles and loud spectators, causing them fear and distress.
