Allow Dhirio? Give your suggestion/objection by 10 Dec
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 16 November 2015 23:47 IST
The House Committee on Dhirio has decided to go public, seeking suggestions and objections.
The final report would be prepared by February next year.
“We will seek suggestions and objections from the public till 10 December and will also hold public hearings on the issue of Dhirio”, said St Andre MLA Vishnu Wagh.
The first meeting of the House Committee on Dhirio was held today.
Chief minister Parsekar, during the last monsoon Assembly session, had announced a committee of legislators to study and find out in what way Dhirio could be continued without violating the legal provisions.
While Wagh is heading the committee, its other members are Congress MLA Alex Reginaldo Lourenco, GVP MLA Caitu Silva, Independent Benjamin Silva and BJP MLA Kiran Kandolkar.
Dhirio, one-time Goa’s most popular sport, is banned in Goa for nearly two decades, since 1996.
Meanwhile, People for Animals has filed a contempt petition in the high court, against Goa’s CM Parsekar and all other top government officials, for encouraging banned Dhirio (bull fights) in Goa.
The petition primarily accuses CM Parsekar for encouraging Dhirio, in violation of the high court order, which was later also upheld by the Supreme Court.
The main instance cited in the contempt petition is the Dhirio organised on 20 September at Paliem-Harmal in Parsekar’s Mandrem constituency, on the occasion of Chovoth festival.
Almost 16 bulls had locked horns at this ‘secretly held public event’, attended by over 2000 enthusiasts.
BACKGROUND
The Bombay high court at Goa, in December 1996, had banned Dhirio following instances of spectators also getting killed.
The ban was imposed under the provisions of the Cruelty to Animals (Prevention) Act, 1968.
As Dhirio was a popular sport and even politicians like Churchill Alemao were owning fighting bulls, Goa government as well as many MPs had tried their level best to get the ban revoked, even by raising the issue in the Parliament.
But no central government of any party had reacted in favour of the request.
The erstwhile Congress government, when Pratapsing Rane was the CM, had even managed to pass an amendment to the Act, by adding a new clause to section 11 (3).
The clause had stated that “Dhirio is a traditional, popular, unique sport, where bulls are trained properly by owners to fight each other and to develop their strength and stamina".
It was then forwarded to the union law ministry as the act falls into a concurrent list and requires assent from the Centre as well. But the response was negative.
Adv Alvares, on the other hand, had given a different dimension to the issue when she was fighting to get it banned. She had said:
"The 19th century witnessed the slaves getting liberated from human exploitation. The 20th century began a process of liberating women from human exploitation. Let the 21st century be the beginning of liberating the animals from any kind of human exploitation".
what is the need of Dhiryo is the first thing?
why such cruelty to animals?
isn't it a Gambling for Goans than merely a Dhiryo?
I am against DHIRYO