While entire Tamil Nadu defied Supreme Court's ban on Jallikattu and conducted the game during Pongal, Andhra Pradesh too didnot lag behind. Despite cock fight ban, ruling TDP leaders shocked all warning cops over cock fights.
Even as police commissioners and superintendents of police tried to minimise the impact of cock fights TDP leaders warned cops about the dire consequences from the people if they enter the premises and said they were not resposible for them.
MLAs and TDP leaders celebrated cock fights in Edupugallu in Krishna district, Koppaka in West Godavari district and other prominent areas like Bhimavaram. Even punters from others states like Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Odisha came all the way for cock fights.
They played warm up matches on 12 Jan afteroon itself and from Jan 13th started real fights with police avoding the premises. Vijayawada ACP on anonimity said Krishna district MLA gave indirect warning saying “Please do not enter the premises of the cockfights from Friday 2pm onwards. We are not responsible if anything unpleasant situation happens with your arrival as we cannot control the public.”
He went on to add “We could not inform this to our higher officials as it is we who had to be on the field if instructed. Even the same situation is prevailing in West Godavari district." One TDP MLA said “Our leaders and other local leaders had already distributed commissions to the local police up to the DSP level officers for organising cockfights. Many of the officers get transferred to these places during this period with the high expectations of income from cockfights."
