Man dies after scuffle with his rooster on his way to a cockfight

Cockfighting is illegal in India but remains rife in local towns and villages
AFP via Getty Images
Ewan Somerville23 January 2020

An Indian man has died after a scuffle with his rooster while travelling to a cockfight.

Saripalli Chanavenkateshwaram Rao, from Pragadavaram village in southern India, was reportedly slashed with a blade in the neck tied to the gamecock’s claw.

The 50-year-old, a regular cockfighter, was on his way to enter the animal for a competition when it tried to break free, police said.

A force spokesperson in the Andhra Pradesh state told CNN he was struck on January 15 and taken to hospital, where he later died from a stroke.

The sport has been illegal in India since 1960, upheld in the country’s Supreme Court in 2014, but it still exists underground in the country.

Kranti Kumar, station house officer in the village, said the cockfight went ahead without any arrests.

Gauri Maulekhi, trustee for India’s People for Animals foundation, said: "The offenses have been made very clear and explained to the district and state authorities, but they choose to turn a blind eye towards it.

“It is not just for entertainment that these animals are made to fight, but it is (also) due to the heavy betting and gambling that goes on in the garb of these events.”

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