Two killed in cockfights during Sankranti: Police

In the first incident, a 43-year-old man, identified as Gande Suresh of Vellanka village of Kirlampudi block of Kakinada district, suffered injuries after the rooster jumped at him while he was watching the cockfight.

Two persons were killed in separate incidents after they were attacked by roosters fitted with sharp knives during cockfights as part of Sankranti festivities in Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada and East Godavari districts on Sunday, the police said.

The bodies of both victims were sent to the nearby government hospitals for post-mortem. (HT)

In the first incident, a 43-year-old man, identified as Gande Suresh of Vellanka village of Kirlampudi block of Kakinada district, suffered injuries after the rooster jumped at him while he was watching the cockfight.

“The knife, tied to the rooster’s leg, slashed the calf muscle of Suresh’s leg, cutting the main vein, resulting in over-bleeding. He was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed in the night,” Kirlampudi sub-inspector of police B Tirupati Rao said.

In another incident at Ananthapalli village under Nallajerla mandal in East Godavari district, Pirigani Padma Raju (20) was preparing a rooster for a cockfight when the sharp knife tied to its leg slit through his wrist. “Raju suffered heavy bleeding, leading to his death on the spot,” Nallajarla inspector of police K Laxma Reddy said.

The bodies of both victims were sent to the nearby government hospitals for post-mortem. The Kakinada and Eluru police registered the cases under Section 336 (injuries caused due to negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and have started the investigation, police said.