PETA slams passage of Assam law allowing festive buffalo fights

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India has slammed the Assam government for the passage of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Assam Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Assembly on Thursday (November 27, 2025).

The Bill seeks to exempt the traditional buffalo fight, locally known as Moh Juj, from the purview of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

In a statement on Thursday, PETA India said the passage of the Bill plunged Assam into the dark ages. The Bill, it said, undermines the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which prohibits forcing animals to fight and violates laws upholding animal rights.

“The passage of this cruel Bill aimed at allowing vulnerable buffaloes to be beaten into charging at, wounding and bloodying each other takes Assam back to the dark ages,” PETA India’s senior policy and legal advisor Vikram Chandravanshi said.

Following a petition by PETA India, the Gauhati High Court had quashed the Assam government’s standard operating procedure on December 27, 2023, which allowed buffalo and bulbul bird fights during the mid January Magh Bihu.

Earlier, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister Krishnendu Paul said that the original State Act dealing with cruelty to animals allows exemptions under specific cultural circumstances.

In the Statement of Objects and Reasons, the government argued that Moh Juj has long been an intrinsic part of Assamese heritage, contributing not only to cultural preservation but also to the continuation of native buffalo breeds.

Mr. Paul said the amendment aligns Assam with States like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, which secured exemptions for cultural practices such as Jallikattu and bullock cart racing.