The Telangana police on Wednesday, July 6, raided a place in Patancheru near Hyderabad where cockfights were organised allegedly by former MLA of Andhra Pradesh Chintamaneni Prabhakar. Prabhakar reportedly fled the scene when the police raid happened. Chintamaneni Prabhakar, a former MLA of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), had allegedly organised the cockfight at a mango grove. On a tip-off, police raided the place on the night of Wednesday, July 6 and detained 21 people. However, around 50 others, including Prabhakar, reportedly managed to escape.
A police team raided the mango grove in Peddakanjerla village where a large group of men was engaged in betting on cockfights. Patancheru Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhim Reddy said they conducted the raid after receiving information that Prabhakar was organising cockfights. The police team found about 70 people there but most of them, including Prabhakar, managed to escape taking advantage of the darkness.
The police seized 31 roosters, Rs 13.12 lakh cash, 26 vehicles and 27 mobile phones. The police said that Prabhakar, a former MLA of Denduluru constituency in Eluru district of Andhra Pradesh, was conducting the cockfights. The other main organisers were identified as Akkineni Satish, Krishnam Raju, and Barla Raju. However, in a statement shared on his Facebook page, Prabhakar said that he was falsely being implicated as the organiser of the cockfight due to a political agenda.
Despite a ban, cockfights are common in many parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh during Sankranti celebrations. Crores of rupees change hands as cockfights are organised in towns and villages across several districts in the neighbouring state. The organisers make specially-bred roosters fight with small knives or blades tied to their legs. The fight often ends with the death of one of the two birds. Backed by powerful politicians and businessmen, the organisers make special seating arrangements for those participating in betting and for spectators.
Animal rights activists point out that as per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974, cockfights are illegal. They say despite court orders, the cockfights continue unabated, reportedly under the patronage of elected public representatives while law enforcement agencies turn blind eye to this lawlessness.