The House committee headed by the St. Andre MLA Vishnu Surya Wagh is seeking the public opinion on the issue of Dhirios in Goa. According to the sources, the committee will be taking the public opinion including the suggestions and objections from the people by 10th December 2015 and based on that it will submit the final report to the government by February 2016. “We will be seeking the suggestions and objections from the people and based on that we will prepare and submit the final report to the government,” said St. Andre MLA, Vishnu Wagh.
It may be recalled that recently the Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar told the media that government is considering the Legalizing of Dhirios in the state while keeping the rules and regulations in mind. Dhirios is supposed to be one of the most popular sports activities in Goa, according to the Dhirio supporters. The Dhirio committee is headed by the St. Andre MLA Vishnu Wagh while GVP MLA Caitu Silva, Independent MLA Benjamin Silva, BJP MLA Kiran Kandolkar and Congress MLA Alex Reginaldo are the other members in the team.
On the other hand, The Animal Activists who are against the bullfights in Goa has filed the petition in the High Court of Goa against the Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and other government officials for encouraging the evil sports activity in the state. In the petition the animal, activists has accused the CM Parsekar and other officials of violating the high court judgement of 1997 banning the Dhirios which had upheld by the Supreme Court. The petition also cites the instance of the contempt in which the illegal Dhirios were performed on 20th September 2015 at the Chief Minister’s constituency in Mandrem on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi in which around 16 bulls were supposed to be put into the task and the event was attended by around 2000 spectators.
Dhirios is the sports activity of cruelty against the mute animals. It gives the pleasure to the spectators and makes money for their masters but at the cost of the life of an animal and that was the reason the activity of bull fight was banned by the High Court and the decision was later on supported by the Supreme Court. There were instances wherein not only the animals but some of the spectators were also got seriously wounded and at some occasion it also resulted into the death. The ban was imposed by the Bombay High Court under the provision of Cruelty to Animals (prevention) Act, 1968. There is the big lobby of Dhirio enthusiasts in the state which is working towards the reinstating of this sports activity, but they are not receiving any positive response from the courts as well as the central government.
It does not look like the fight between the animal activists and Dhirios enthusiasts will end so soon. Both will keep doing their job and the time will pass on. Since from past 27 odd years the Dhirios were banned by the High Court of Bombay but it is never stopped. Every year there is an instance of illegal Dhirios taking place in the state and now that there is a committee to support Dhirios which is again supported by the political people at the helm, nothing seems to be impossible. The question here is, whether the Dhirios will get the green signal from the courts? Whether in the first place Dhirios are to be allowed? Please do leave your valuable comments and suggestions on this issue.
Source: Various Sources
Edited by Goa Prism News Desk
