MUZAFFARGARH: Police registered a case against 20 people and arrested two of them on Thursday for cruelty to animals and gambling over a dog and bear fight at Fatehpur Janoobi, tehsil Alipur.

During the fight, more than one dozens fighter dogs were unleashed on a chained bear. The spectators were gambling on the fight. Talking about the fight, Niaz and Ghulam Rasool, who belong to Alipur, say the bear is tied with chains while a pair of dogs is unleashed on it. A referee announces the winner dogs when the bear is defeated. The dogs can also die if the bear retaliates. They said that during the fight on Thursday, two dogs died.

When District Police Officer Sadiq Ali Dogar came to know about the fight, he sent a police team to the venue and they arrested the owner of bear while a case was registered against 20 people.

Station House Officer Syed Zaigham Shah told this correspondent the organiser of the event and the venue, Muhammad Iqbal and owner of the bear, Muhammad Ajmal, had been arrested along with his animal. He said the case was registered under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Prevention of Gambling Act. He said most of the gamblers were from residents of other districts.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2019