The India wing of Italy-based International Organisation for Animal Protection lodged a zero FIR in Delhi on Sunday against organisers of Sonepur Mela, including the Saran district administration, tourism department and horse and elephant owners.
Zero FIR is an FIR that can be filed in any police station, irrespective of place of incident/jurisdiction, and the same can be later transferred to the police station concerned.
Gauri Maulekhi, member-secretary, People For Animals People for Animal (PFA), another animal advocacy group, has also claimed to file a public interest litigation in Patna High Court against the Sonepur cattle fair organisers, including Saran district magistrate Kundan Kumar, for gross violation of animal welfare norms and even important court verdicts related to animal protection.
On Sunday, Kundan, in a blatant violation of wildlife protection norms and recent directives issues by Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), presided over a horse race event at Sonepur Mela.
Apparently, Kundan, in a letter on November 4, issued (a copy of which is with The Telegraph) a directive to prohibit any kind of animal race activities in the cattle fair.
Other officials in the district administration at the race venue claimed that elephants as well as horses were bought for exhibition only.
Pashupalak Sangh (a union of animal-keepers at Sonepur) member Vinod Kumar confirmed the race: “This petty horse and elephant races are being held as a traditional ritual since long. If these horses do not show their strength in races then who would buy them? If the elephants are not tied with spiked chains then how would the mahouts control them?”
Naresh Kadian, country head, IOPA and convener, Animal Welfare Party, who lodged the zero FIR with Prashant Vihar police station, Delhi on Sunday claimed that such exhibition of elephants comes under the category of performance of wild animals, which is again banned.
Horse races are allowed at only 33 registered turf clubs in India and for any such race, one needs the AWBI approval, as per the Performing Animal Registration Rules, 2011.
Jai Sinha, the counter head of Human Society International, said: “The horse races held at Sonepur are in complete violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and it also violates the spirit of a judgment of the Supreme Court prohibiting all kinds of horse races except being at registered turf clubs,” said Sinha.
Saran divisional forest officer K. Ganesan Kumar claimed that strict warnings were issued to the elephant owners on Sunday not to shackle them using spiked chains or walk them by hitting with short-edged ankush, else their animals would be seized and they would also be arrested.
Officials in the Saran district administration claimed that the event was held solely by Pashupalak Sangh, a union of the animal keepers coming to the fair. “It was not a race but an exhibition of animals. We only provided them the ground of Bailhatta (bull market) as venue and police deployment for ensuring law and order,” said a senior official in the Saran district administration present at the venue.
“No race of either elephant or horse was held on Sunday” said Sudhir Kumar, sub-divisional magistrate, Sonepur.
Kundan was not available for a comment on the race.
