Rongson Das is disappointed on the day of Magh Bihu. The local resident of Aahotguri area in Morigaon district spared no pain to train up his buffalo to be fielded in the fight on Thursday. Till Tuesday he was confident that his animal would steal the show. But the things have taken an unexpected turn. There would no buffalo fight this time. The Assam Government has restricted the game scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
“I am totally disappointed. What I left undone to help my animal win this time. But of no avail. Today I am not joining the festival when I got the details of the government instruction,” the 50 year old told Assam Times.
Same it is in the case of Bihuwa Kalita whose buffalo was well prepared to give a brave fight against the opponent in Aahotguri field on Friday. For the last one month he left no stone unturned to help his domestic animal win the battle. But only to be disappointed.
“The government announcement is a bolt from the blue for me as soon as I got to learn it. Initially, I could not believe it. But later I got the confirmation. I am offended. Why these people in Dispur are disrupting us. Let us live in peace,” the 60 year old local resident of Raha told Assam Times.
Similar disappointment is noticed from a section of the people in Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat districts where the traditional buffalo fights won’t take place this time.
Voices of resentment are also pouring in from Hajo area where bulbul fights were scheduled to take place on Thursday and Friday.
“We have been imparting training to the birds for the last 15 days. We have been feeding the birds. It is our age old tradition. Why the government need to interfere in it,” said Ratan Das a local resident of Hajo who was prepapred to field his bird in the fight.
Talking to Assam Times the organizers called the decision an unfortunate but in the same breath they said the government order would have to be followed. Acting on a Supreme Court order, the Assam Government on Wednesday restricted buffalo and bulbul fights on the occasion of magh bihu. The government has sent a set of guidelines to the district authorities to ensure that no fight of bird and animal is allowed to take place which means inflicting torture on bulbul and buffalo.
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