On November 27, 2025, the Assam Legislative Assembly passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Assam Amendment) Bill, 2025, a move that allows traditional buffalo fights, locally known as Moh-Juj, to resume. This decision has sparked controversy and strong criticism from animal rights organizations, particularly People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India.
The amendment alters the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, effectively exempting buffalo fights from its purview. Previously, the Gauhati High Court had quashed the Assam government's attempt to legalize buffalo and bulbul bird fights through a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) dated December 27, 2023,. The court's decision upheld that these fights violated the PCA Act, 1960, and, in the case of bulbul fights, the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. This followed a petition by PETA India.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the amendment was modeled after Tamil Nadu's approach to permitting bullock fights at Jallikattu. The Supreme Court had initially banned Jallikattu before the Tamil Nadu government amended the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, leading to the ban's revocation. Sarma said the decision to amend the Act was taken so that the traditional buffalo fight could continue in Assam like the bullock fight in Jallikattu.
Buffalo fights are a traditional part of Bhogali Bihu celebrations in Assam, typically held in January, particularly in areas like Ahotguri in the Morigaon district. However, these events were discontinued after PETA India presented evidence to the High Court alleging that the buffaloes were subjected to torture and abuse during these fights, violating central animal protection laws. PETA India's evidence included instances of buffaloes being slapped, jabbed with sticks, and pulled by nose ropes, resulting in injuries to their necks, ears, and faces.
PETA India has strongly condemned the Assam Assembly's decision, calling it a "regressive" step that "plunges Assam into the Dark Ages". The organization argues that buffaloes, as prey animals, are deliberately provoked into fighting, causing them to sustain injuries. Vikram Chandravanshi, PETA India's Senior Policy and Legal Advisor, stated that the bill would stain Assam and deter tourists. Chandravanshi added that many tourists visit Assam expecting animals to be protected in national parks and other areas of the state. PETA India says that during the fights, owners and handlers jab the buffaloes with sticks and hit them with their bare hands to agitate them. During the fights, the buffaloes sustain bloody injuries.
