The police have put up posters and banners in villages in Eluru Range urging the residents not to indulge in cockfights, gambling and other banned games during the Sankranthi festival.
The police are conducting meetings with the Mahila Police, village and community heads, and are appealing to the locals not to organise rooster fights and kill the birds.
In West Godavari, Krishna, and East Godavari districts, and Rajahmundry Urban, police launched a special drive to prevent cockfights. The officials are checking lodges and hotels and intensified patrolling in the villages to prevent preparation of arenas.
The Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), Circle Inspectors and the Station House Officers along with the Mahila Police are moving in the hamlets and conducting awareness programmes against cockfights. “We will take stern action against the cockfight organisers, knife-makers, land owners (in which the rooster fights are arranged), and the punters,” said Eluru Range Deputy Inspector (DIG) of Police K.V. Mohan Rao said.
Police are explaining to the residents the High Court orders on cockfights. They were also conducting raids on poultries where roosters are being prepared for the fights and the arenas in the range.
“Instructions have been given to act tough against cockfight organisers, punters and the gamblers. As many as 2,187 persons have been bound over in East Godavari district,” said Superintendent of Police M. Ravindranath Babu.
In West Godavari district, awareness meetings were being conducted in Narsapuram, Palakol, Elamanchili, Bhimavaram, Undrajavaram, Ganapavaram, Tadepalligudem, Eluru, Mogalturu, Devarapalli, Iragavaram, Kovvur, Jangareddygudem, Koyyalagudem, Nallajarla, Penugonda, Achanta and other places.
“Police have been directed to move in villages and collect the data of cockfight arenas, organisers, knife-makers, punters, investors and other who are abetting cockfights and gambling,” said West Godavari district SP Rahul Dev Sharma.
In Krishna district, police are doing tom-tom and using public addressing systems to prevent cockfights. Awareness meetings were being conducted in Avanigadda, Gudivada, Nagayalanka, Mudinepalli, Kaikalur, Pedana, Pamarru and other places.
“Focus is being laid on the island villages in Kolleru and Krishna river. Instructions have been given to the DSPs and the CIs to keep a tab on rooster sellers and the land owners in villagers,” said Krishna SP Siddharth Kaushal.
