Over Rs 1,000 crore placed on bets as cockfights go on unabated on TG-AP borders

The organisers make elaborate arrangements for the cockfights with spacious rings, barricades and shamianas as part of Sankanti festival

Khammam: Even as the police claimed to have taken measures to curtail cockfights, they have been going on unabated on the Telangana-Andhra Pradesh borders for the last week with hundreds of crores of rupees laid as wager.

Cockfights were organised at Veleru near Burgampad mandal, at Chodavaram near Bhadrachalam, at Maraigudem near Dummugudem mandal, at Nellipaka, and other places on Wednesday, the 3rd day of Sankranti festival, Kanuma.

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Youngsters from Bhadrachalam, Burgampad, Dummugudem, Kothagudem, Sathupalli, Madhira Khammam, and other places in Telangana have been placing bets on the cockfights.

While some won, the majority of them ended up losing lakhs of rupees. The organisers made elaborate arrangements for the cockfights with spacious rings with barricades and shamianas.

The locals wanted the police in the respective areas to raid and stop the betting, but in vain.

On the other hand, many from Khammam and Kothagudem districts went to Nuziveedu town in neighbouring AP, where huge numbers of people from across the State gathered either to watch cockfights or to place bets. It was estimated that around Rs 1,000 crore was exchanged on Bhogi, Sankranti, and Kanuma alone. It was said around Rs 175 crore was placed as bets in erstwhile East Godavari districts on Bhogi day. This time the organisers announced prizes like Mahindra Thar, Royal Enfield bike and others besides cash won as part of the bet.

Aswaraopet MLA Jare Adinarayana also visited Nuziveedu to watch cockfights. Speaking to the media, the MLA said he visited the place for the first time after he got elected as MLA. He described cockfights as a matter of self-respect for Telugu people and said he took around 300 of his followers to Nuziveedu to watch cockfights.

The MLA stated that as a former sports teacher, he found the cockfight rings prepared like sports courts and thanked the organisers for inviting him to the event.

The MLA further stated that generally people believe that cockfights were not organised in Telangana but people in Aswaraopet, Mulakalapalli, and Dammapet areas in his constituency like cockfights and organise them.

Adinarayana said he also inaugurated a cockfight at a village in his constituency on Tuesday.