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BJP-led government planning to legalize bullfight to promote tourism – CM

The bullfight, also known as Dhirios in Goa, is most probably will be coming under the ambit of legal activity in Goa as the BJP-led
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The bullfight, also known as Dhirios in Goa, is most probably will be coming under the ambit of legal activity in Goa as the BJP-led government is planning to legalize it to promote the tourism in Goa. Describing the Dhirios as a form of one of the oldest traditional games and expressing the possibility of transforming it into the legalize sports activity, which will become one of the sports of tourist attraction and could generate the sizable revenue for the state. According to the sources, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, on Wednesday told the media that government is considering seriously to call for the legalization of the traditional bullfights, Dhurios, keeping in the mind rules and regulations under the law.

It may be recalled that during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival the bullfights were held in Arambol, which falls under the Chief Minister’s constituency in Mandrem, and it was represented by the Parsekar himself and based on this platform, the issue of legalizing the bullfights in the state is underway once again. Meanwhile, the Parsekar had denied the allegations that the school campus was used for holding the Dhirio (bullfight) and he ruled out the involvement of his son and relatives also in this act. To justify that he pointed out that the bullfight is not new to the state, “These kinds of activities are being organized during the Ganesh Festival, Diwali and other such occasions as well as feasts of Christian community as a part of entertainment,” he added.  In fact according to the news published by one of the local new media Parsekar has also said that “I am planning to find some solution to it, like maybe cutting the sharp edge of their horns or putting a safety caps on it and allow Dhirio.”

According to Parsekar, Dhirios are the part of their old tradition which he had been watching since he was the small child, and it is the passion of the Goan people. He goes one step further in this claiming that “In the past after the cultivation of the paddy in the field, farmers used feed the bulls heavily with green grass as a mark of gratitude towards them, and subsequently organize the fights to check the strength of the bulls”. He also said that “This old traditional thing now has a restriction of the law to prevent the cruelty towards the animals, and which is very much justified”

Parsekar has agreed that this issue was raised in the state legislative assembly of Goa and following to which government had constituted the house committee under the chairmanship of the St. Andre legislature Vishnu Surya Wagh and the committee had been asked to submit the report as early as possible on how do the government can go ahead and initiate the procedure of legalizing the traditional activity within the norms laid down by the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, 1960.

Parsekar is also very positive about taking these sports to the next level as suggested by him, if the bullfights are brought under the purview of law then the government could think of constructing the grounds or stadium for the sports, “Besides, Goa being a tourist destination, the legalized Dhirios could be turned into an attractive sporting activity, which could benefit the state as well,” he added.

Basically the bullfights are banned by the environmental and forest ministry in July 2011 due to the stiff protest by the animal activist / lovers, who went to courts against the animal cruelty and the bullfight was banned by the Bombay High Court in 1996. According to this information it is been almost 10 years that Bombay High Court Banned the bullfight and 4 years since the ministry of environment and forest had banned it, but do you remember a single year that there was no bullfight in Goa? Does government support the illegal activities under the name of entertainment and traditions? What is the tradition? Do we need to give the name of tradition to the selfish motives? Who is responsible for all these? Please do not forget to leave your comments and suggestion on this serious issue.

Source: Various sources

Edited by Goa Prism News Desk  

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