CHANDIGARH: Dog fights, secretly held in farmhouses across Punjab and Haryana, are drawing in enthusiasts by the dozen with pictures and videos being uploaded on Facebook and WhatsApp and bets ranging between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 20 lakh.
People on these social media platforms are joining the clandestine dog-fighting groups in big numbers. “They contact each other and a date and time for the fight are set. The fight is held at secret locations, mainly farmhouses of influential people,” said an insider.
Sources said the main bet was between the dog-owners and the amount depended on how much each was willing to shell out. Select people invited to watch the fight also bet on the dogs, ensuring the amount runs into several lakhs. Winning dogs are put on sale for anything Rs 1-3 lakh.
During a typical fight, specially trained dogs — pitbulls, bulldogs, Indian mastiffs, basset hounds and other breeds — tear into each other on instructions from their owners. The canines fight till one of them dies a bloody death, an onlooker said.
The tails of the dogs are chopped off so they don’t become easy targets during the fight. They are kept in cages covered with cloth or in a dark room for many days and given only raw meat or chicken to eat. For a few days, they are kept without food so they turn aggressive and ferocious in the run-up to fighting day. They are also given hormone injections and drugs, the sources said.
“The reason they are given raw meat or chicken is to make them get used to the taste of blood,” an insider said. In some cases, the dogs are tied with ropes and kept hanging to increase their aggression quotient. They are also made to run on the treadmill to keep fit.
The sources said these fights were mainly held at farmhouses in Bathinda, Moga, Muktsar, Ferozepur, Mansa and Hoshiarpur districts of Punjab and in Sirsa, Dabwali, Hisar, Jhajjar and Gurugram in Haryana.
The fights are usually held between 5-7am or late at night to dodge police. “In almost all cases, the local police are involved, so no action is taken,” an official alleged. A senior official alleged, “In many cases, dogs of politicians and influential people are involved in these fights, so authorities turn a blind eye.”
Old Tradition
The dog-fighting tradition dates back to the 18th century. The fights are regularly held in Pakistan and Afghanistan, from where they have crossed the borders to reach India.