Bulbul fights barred this Magh Bihu too

Animal welfare groups welcome Gauhati High Court ban order

BY Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Jan 12: Close on the heels of the Supreme Court staying the operation of a Central government notification that allowed 'Jallikattu' or bull taming sport in Tamil du, the Gauhati High Court has stayed an earlier order which had allowed bulbul fighting in Assam.

The order was passed by a single bench of Justice Rumi Kumari Phukan.

The next hearing of the case has been fixed for January 20.

In January 2015, the Government of Assam had issued an order prohibiting bulbul fights during the festival of Bihu which was challenged by the Shri Hayagriba Madhav Temple Committee of Hajo in December 2015.

NG Jayasimha, member, Animal Welfare Board of India and maging director of Humane Society Intertiol/India said, "We are grateful to the High Court for upholding the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA) , 1960. We hope that Shri Hayagriba Madhav Temple at Hajo will implement this order and celebrate a cruelty-free Bihu. This day will go down in history as the most victorious day for animal welfare."

He said the earlier order of the single judge bench of the Guwahati High Court allowing bulbul fights came without impleading Animal Welfare Board of India as a party and thereby not giving sufficient opportunity of hearing to all stakeholders. "The erroneous order was justly stayed. The order was announced moments after the Supreme Court of India stayed MoEFCC's notification allowing Jallikattu," he added.

Bulbuls or "songbirds" as they are known, protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, are reportedly captured from the wild by villagers who then train them by spiking their food with marijua as intoxicant and starve the bird a night before the fight.

HSI/India is working to ensure that people who conduct the illegal and cruel practice of animal fighting, anywhere in India, are prosecuted.

The HSI/India has earlier been successful in stopping buffalo fighting in Assam.

To combat the mece of animal fighting in India, HSI/India has also launched its tiol animal fighting  tip-line number 07674922044 that can be used to anonymously report incidents of animal fighting organized in any part of the country.