Mangaluru: Deputy Commissioners of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on Monday justified the ban on Kambala, which is a traditional sport of coastal Karnataka, citing that the buffaloes are not meant for races. Making buffaloes run during ‘Kambala’ amounts to cruelty, the state authorities said before the Karnataka High Court on Monday.

In the statement of objections, they have also claimed that sticks are used to beat the animal in the traditional race and that fear prods the buffaloes to run. This amounts to cruelty and contravenes provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and Supreme Court’s order in the Jallikattu case, they countered.

The district administration has also claimed that Kambala is not a religious or traditional event. “Even if it is traditional, PCA Act prevents such practices as unnecessary pain to the animal and amounts to cruelty.”

The district authorities said the ban order was issued subsequent to the email sent by the deputy director, Animal Welfare Board of Udupi. Since the direction was issued under a legislation enacted by the parliament, the same is binding on the administration.

Meanwhile, Justice S. Abdul Nazeer, who is hearing the committees’ petition, has ordered issue of notice to the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and the Union government.

While the petitioners have argued that the Kambala is a simple, folk sport, providing much needed entertainment to rural people of coastal Karnataka and that the state government too had encouraged it in Pilikula Nisargadhama, its tourism development project.

They have also claimed that the animals are looked after well and the decision to ban Kambala based on a wrong interpretation of the SC’s jallikattu verdict would affect the livelihood of about 5,000 workers dependent on the sport.

It should be remembered that after the ban was imposed, some modified Kambalas have been held in the districts to fulfill vows. Protests were also held demanding lifting of the ban.