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Two men in India’s Godavari districts were declared dead during extreme cock fighting events taking place during the Sankranti harvest festival celebrations.
One of the victims, Gande Suryapraksha Rao, were tying knives to the feet of a fighting rooster when the animal became spooked, causing it to fly in the air and inflict severe damage on the 42 year-old who was declared dead at the hospital later that day.
Around the same time in another district, 20 year-old Padma Raju was also grievously injured whilst he was waiting to watch the birds fight at the cockfighting pit.
Within Andhra Pradesh, the state located on India’s South-East coast, cockfighting is a common occurrence, especially during Sankranti, an important day in the Hindu calendar.
Cockfighting has long been a tradition in the region, but many have made the sport more extreme by attaching blades to the feet of the animals.
This extreme version of the sport has been banned in India since 2018 reversing it decision of being fully banned by the Indian Supreme Court in 2016.
Police have tried to curtail this activity in previous years but the events have garnered a lot of popular support, with hotels being booked well in advance within the Godvavari districts.
In anticipation for the crowds, organisers had pitched tents, made barricades and hired bouncers for the upcoming events.
‘Cockfights are the biggest attractions in Godavari and parts of Krishna and Guntur districts during the three-day Sankranti festival.’ a festival goer told The New Indian Express.
Bids on the roosters range from 10,000 rupees (£100) to 500,000 (near £5000), with prices to buy the fighting birds going from 8,000 (£80) rupees to 20,000 rupees (£200) per each cock.
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