MANGALURU: Just when the ho-ha on the Jallikattu ban in Tamil Nadu was silenced temporarily, people in Karnataka raised their voices against the ban on Kambala, the buffalo race. Students in coastal Karnataka boycotted their classes and gathered in large numbers to voice their support on Kambala. A human chain was formed by students, actors, and public representatives in the heart of Mangaluru.
Addressing the protesters, Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, Dakshina Kannada, said, "Kambala is a traditional sport of Tulunadu and without understanding the difference between Jallikattu and Kambala, PETA had filed a petition to ban Kambala. They should know there is no cruel treatment given to bovine during the sport. We should all join hands and intensify our protest until the ban on Kambala lifted." Kambala is an annual buffalo race held by local leaders. It usually begins in November and ends in March. However, the Karnataka High Court passed an interim order in November 2016, banning all Kambala races until the disposal of PIL filed by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India. While Kambala committees have filed an interim application to vacate the stay, the court will hear the case on January 30.
Organisers planned the protests along with 250 pairs of buffaloes and over 50,000 people at the Swaraj Maidan in Moodabidri. "While there is cruelty in Jallikattu, in the history of Kambala there has never been any sort of cruelty. There have been no deaths and no major injuries in Kambala," Kateel added. Former minister K Abhaychandra Jain, who was present with the committee members, said the government has explained the differences between Jallikattu and Kambala to the Karnataka High Court. "The Government of Karnataka has set up an 8 member committee to look into the defects present in Kambala and rectify them," he said.
Pro-Kannada organisations have decided to fight for their cause and have threatened to lay siege to the Raj Bhavan in support of their demand.
