Karnataka to amend Act to facilitate Kambala as protests grow

Amid growing protests for lifting the ban on buffalo race Kambala, Karnataka Cabinet on Saturday decided to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to pave way for the traditional sport in the coastal region. "The cabinet has decided to move a draft bill in the legislature session scheduled from February 6 to February 10.

It will allow Kambala and bullock cart racing, which will be enabled by amending the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and therefore considered a normal traditional sport," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra told reporters.

The bullock cart races are held in North Karnataka and Kambala in the districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada.

Jayachandra said the amendment will exempt Kambala and bullock cart racing from the clutches of the laws under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Kambala was being held for nearly 600 years and does not cause any cruelty to the participating animals, he said, adding that in recent times, not a single death has taken place due to the folk sport.