President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2019, paving the way for the revival of bullock cart races and the use of animals in sports events, especially during the famous Kila Raipur Rural Sports event in Ludhiana.
Bullock cart racing played a significant role in making the traditional rural sporting event and fair held at Kila Raipur (Ludhiana) since the 1930s, famous worldwide.
Back in 2014, the Supreme Court banned these sports, holding them to be violative of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, (PCA), 1960.
But later, subsequent governments amended their laws and added conditions for the welfare of animals, which were in 2023 held valid by the top court, paving the way for bull taming sports like ‘JalliKattu’ in Tamil Nadu and Kambala in Karnataka. But in Kila Raipur, the bullock cart races couldn’t take place last year as the state waited for the assent to the Bill. The bullock cart race event in Kila Raipur in 2023 also hit the wall with the department of animal husbandry issued an order to not hold the event.
Punjab additional chief secretary of animal husbandry Vikas Pratap confirmed that the department has received the assent letter from the President.
{{/usCountry}}Punjab additional chief secretary of animal husbandry Vikas Pratap confirmed that the department has received the assent letter from the President.
{{/usCountry}}“We have received the assent letter from the President, and now bullock cart races can be conducted at the Kila Raipur Rural Sports event in accordance with the laws and conditions outlined in the Bill. Organisers can submit their requests, and upon review, we will grant permission accordingly,” Pratap said. As per officials the President gave her assent on February 27, 2024, and was subsequently forwarded to the Punjab government.
The official said the notification is pending due to poll code coming into force in the state, but the rural game aficionados can enjoy the bullock cart racing this year.
The Act lays certain conditions for the use of animals including a proper medical team of doctors during the event, animals should not be ill, weather should be clear, and games cannot be held under sunny conditions, among others.
Col Surinder Singh Grewal, president of the Kila Raipur Sports Society, welcomed the development. “We are extremely pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision last year. The President’s assent with specified conditions is a positive development,” he said.
Nirmal Singh, general secretary of the Malwa Doaba Bull Fair Owners Association, said the bullock cart races were an integral part of the state’s cultural heritage until they were stopped after the Supreme Court’s 2014 verdict.
“This will revitalise the rural sports and make bullock cart racing one of the main attractions again,” he said.