Vinita Deshmukh| December 12, 2014| 8.53 am IST
On the 9th of December, 50-year -old farmer, Vaman Dawenge and critically injured another spectator, Balasaheb Warpe at Kopargaon village near Shirdi, after a bull ran amok into the spectator area. This tragedy not only brings to light the relevance of the Supreme Court order in banning this sport, but also brings out the irresponsible notification signed by Minister of State for Environment & Forests, Prakash Javdekar to permit such races in Maharashtra and announce so in a media conference on December 4.
Animal activists have directly held Javadekar responsible for this tragedy, as the sport they say was curtailed after the Bombay High Court order 2011 and the subsequent Supreme Court order in 2012. Amruta Ubale, head of the NGO, Animal Equality, states that, ``In a press conference last week, the Minister of Environment and Forests, Prakash Javdekar announced that he plans to issue a new notification allowing the conduct of bullock cart races. He also said that, even before he took charge as a Minister of Environment and Forests, he was requested to start races and that he had signed the notification. This has resulted in villagers presuming that bullock cart races are now legal although the notification has yet to come into force.”
Mumbai based animal activist Gargi Gogoi has sent a legal notice to Javadekar, asking him to refrain from bringing the notification into force and taking back his statement in public.
The Supreme Court, in its order in 2012 had observed that:
1. Bullock cart races are not a part of tradition or culture.
2. Bulls are not anatomically designed to run but are forced to perform by inflicting pain and suffering.
3. Animals have a legal right not be subjected to cruelty under Section 3 and Sec. 11 of the PCA Act.
4. Bulls cannot carry the so-called performance without being exhausted, injured, tortured or humiliated. Bulls are also intentionally subjected to fear, injury – both physically and mentally.
5. Bullock cart races should be banned as it puts unnecessary stress on the animal for the sake of human pleasure and enjoyment.
Javdekar’s had made quite an unrealistic public statement, in which he stated that “We will allow races by imposing a condition that cruelty should not be inflicted on bulls.” Says Ubale, ``Javadekar had also stated that Bullock cart races are a tradition of Maharashtra and therefore it was incorrect to term it as ‘cruelty.’ This is in gross violation of the Supreme Court order.’’
Several States have totally banned this sport. However, Maharashtra has time and again come under fire for it, the most famous being in the 1990s when the then MP Suresh Kalmadi, portrayed bullock cart race as a star attraction for international tourists during the 10 day Ganesh Festival of Pune.
Indeed, it is time for Maharashtra to observe restrain and it will help if ministers do not make senseless statements for the sake of vote banks!