People for Ethical Treatment of Animals today alleged that bulls were subjected to cruelty at two recent bullock cart racing events, 'rekla', in Tamil Nadu and sought action against organisers and a ban on such events.
It released video footage to buttress its claim, one of which was shot at Kolumakondan (on January 21) and the other at S Kumarapalayam (on February 4), falling under Dindigul and Coimbatore districts respectively.
In a media release, the animal rights group said the videos showed "bulls being electro-shocked, roughly pulled by their nose ropes, and beaten and jabbed with nail-tipped, pointed wooden sticks and their tails being bitten and yanked to make them run faster."
Pairs of bulls crashed to the ground and into barricades during the races, it said, adding that the animals were denied basic necessities, including food and water.
"Racers in Tamil Nadu are electrically shocking bullocks, biting their sensitive tails, and beating them mercilessly in order to force them to run at high speeds on hot tar roads," said PETA India Public Policy Lead, Nikunj Sharma.
"PETA India is calling on authorities to ban all cruel events involving bulls," he urged.
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