During a discussion in the state Assembly last week, legislators across party lines demanded the legalisation of bull fighting in Goa. The MLAs said that bull fighting, locally referred to as dhirio or dhiri, is an integral part of Goa’s cultural fabric.
Dhiri was a “part and parcel of every Church fest” and villagers from miles around would gather to witness the popular sport in which “two thorough-bred bulls fight each other”. “Sole actors are two carefully selected and trained bulls who have been brought to the fighting pitch by several secret ministrations,” the book said.
The bulls “charge [at each other] and the clash of their heads sound like the falling of a gigantic tree struck by lightning,” de Souza wrote.
A bull fight begins with two bulls dashing at each other and locking horns. They head-butt each other and repeatedly charge and retreat, provoked by trainers standing behind. The bull that gets pushed out of the arena first or turns and runs away loses the fight, unlike in Spain where the animal has to die for the fight to end. A fight can be over in a few minutes or stretch for more than an hour.
“It is a straight fight till one bull falls or flees. Often a bull is seriously injured,” said one bull owner who was previously involved in the practice. Bulls can even be gored to death at times. Agitated bulls may also charge at spectators, causing grievous injuries.
Bull fights have been taking place in Goa for generations, going back to the time of the Portuguese, former Nuvem MLA Radharao Gracias told The Indian Express.
“The economy was largely agrarian in those days. So, it was a custom to organise such fights after the harvest season. It was a form of entertainment. People would discuss the fights for days,” he said.
The bulls often had names such as (Mike) Tyson and Rambo (the famous Sylvester Stallone character), and had a devoted fan following, Gracias said. In those days, Taleigao, near Panaji, hosted the biggest annual bullfight after the harvest feast on August 21, drawing more than 5,000 spectators. Several dignitaries and politicians would be in attendance, and would often patronise these fights.
“There was a coconut breaking competition and a bullfight. These were like popular derbies in Europe. You went there to be seen,” said Gracias.
A ban ‘only in the books’
In September 1996, Xavier Fernandes from Cana-Benaulim was killed by a “violent” bull at a fight organised at Ambaji-Fatorda. After the incident, the NGO People for Animals filed a petition in the High Court of Bombay at Goa contending that bull fights were occurring illegally in contravention to the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
The High Court subsequentlly found bullfights to be illegal and said they “cannot be permitted to be organised”. The Court directed the state to take immediate steps to ban “all types of animal fights including bull fights and ‘dhirios’ in the state of Goa”.
Nonetheless, bull fights continue to be organised clandestinely especially in coastal villages of Benaulim, Colva, Fatorda and Betalbatim in South Goa and coastal belt in North Goa. To evade police action, a fight’s location is shared on select WhatsApp and Facebook groups only a few hours before it is set to take place.
“Now, they are popular for betting. The ban is only in the books. The Goan diaspora in Europe too places bets on fights,” Gracias said.
In 2021, a contempt petition was filed in the High Court, alleging that bull fights were taking place despite orders of the court. In April this year, a bull died during a bullfight in a paddy field in Betalbatim. In January, a spectator was gored to death at a bull fight near Benaulim.
Till June 30, police had registered six cases under Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act for organising bull fights.
Clamour for legalisation
Supporters and bull fight aficionados argue that bull fights are a traditional “sport of Goa”.
“There is no cruelty. It is a sport where the strength of bulls is put to test. It is like boxing. It can be regulated. The horns of bulls can be capped, but a ban goes against the tradition,” Francis, a resident of Taleigao, told The Indian Express.
Goan politicians have long called for legalisation.
“If dhirio are brought within proper purview of law, it can be a tourist attraction. It can be a good source of revenue for tourism and for farmers who raise such bulls,” then Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar had said in 2015. At the time, a House committee was also formed to examine the issue.
Former Goa CM Francisco Sardinha told The Indian Express, “I am totally in favour of legalising bull fights. All the animal species fight before procreation or mating. Do the bulls not head-butt otherwise at all? They always fight. There is no cruelty. In boxing, humans fight for supremacy, it’s the same…Dhirio used to the culture of villages and people seem to enjoy them.”
In 2023, AAP MLA from Benaulim, Venzy Viegas sought an amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to exclude dhirio, along the lines of a similar legislation passed by Tamil Nadu, which excludes the traditional sport of jallikattu from the ambit of the law.
But animal rights activists continue to vocally oppose legalisation efforts.
“Bullfighting involves pitting two bulls against each other in a violent and often bloody confrontation. The animals are hit and goaded into fighting until one is deemed the winner. The goal is to incite violence between the animals for entertainment and often gambling. These events subject the animals to significant physical and psychological harm, including fractures, puncture wounds, and severe stress,” Meet Ashar, legal advisor and director of Cruelty Response, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) India, told The Indian Express.
“There are consequences when a society encourages cruelty to animals… We must be extremely concerned about anyone who finds this violence entertaining,” he said.
Latest developments
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLA Jit Arolkar on July 31 demanded the framing of a law to legalise and regulate bull fights. He recounted a recent incident when a woman from his constituency called him for assistance in finding her son a job, but mentioned that the more pressing concern for her was her bull, which had not been in a fight for two years and had been “sitting idle”.
“The practice dates back to the Harappan civilization and evidence suggests that such fights were held for sport and entertainment. The owners often care more for their bulls than for their children. They get pedicures done for bulls,” he said.
AAP’s Viegas reiterated: “It is an opportunity for the state to generate revenue. We may even consider building a stadium for the sport.”
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the state will “examine” the issue and “see what can be done”.
A buffalo fight at a football maidan in Purulia, West Bengal. Bull/buffalo fighting traditions can be found around India. (Express Photo by Partha Paul) 
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