BENAULIM: Bullfight or dhirio is likely to become a major issue in Benaulim constituency for Assembly elections with the dhirio lovers pinning their hopes on former Chief Minister and TMC candidate Churchill Alemao to find a legal solution to the issue.
Many bull owners, who rear bulls mostly for dhirios, have been requesting Churchill to amend the legislation and legalise bullfights as a sports event.
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Churchill, who is now actively campaigning, has also promised dhirio lovers to legalise the same after it was banned by the High Court of Bombay at Goa.
Churchill said, “I have been consistently following this issue. A large number of bull owners are anxious to organise dhirios. I have now taken up this issue before my party (TMC) leaders and have also given them copies of draft bill to raise it in Parliament. TMC MPs Derek O’Brien, Mahua Moitra, Sushmita Dev and our own Luizinho Faleiro are expected to introduce the bill in both Houses of Parliament.”
Churchill said the Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) has also promised in its election manifesto to restart traditional sport dhirio and promote it as part of Goan culture.
Despite legal ban, bullfights are organised secretly in some areas of Benaulim constituency mostly on Sundays and public holidays by hoodwinking the police. The bull owners and dhirio lovers have created a Whatsapp group where they share information of venues and timings. On very few occasions police arrive at the spot and book the organisers and bull owners for organising dhirios.
Seraulim’s former sarpanch and a bull owner Domingos Fernandes alias Jilu is hopeful that Churchill will find a solution to the issue.
He said since Supreme Court has allowed Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu the same away dhirios should be permitted in Goa. Bullfight should be treated as a sport.
Another bull owner Walter Pereira of Fatrade-Varca claimed that only Churchill can settle this issue.
“The TMC has also promised in its manifesto to restart dhirio as traditional sport of Goa and that we are waiting for it to happen,” he said.
Valerio Fernandes of Varca said, “Churchill has been following this issue for long and has made several correspondence with the government. In the past then Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar promised us to restart dhirio but after winning elections he did nothing. I strongly feel that dhirio can be legalised and restarted only if TMC forms the next government in Goa.”
