Panaji, Apr 14 (IANS): The Bombay High Court in Goa has directed the state police to crackdown on illegal bullfights in Goa, while also suggesting the use of RFID tags or microchips on bulls specially reared by bullfight enthusiasts for the illegal sport.

The order was passed last week but was placed in the public domain on Wednesday, after the court disposed of a petition filed by a local NGO People for Animals, which had sought a ban on the regularly organised bullfights in the state, although the sport was deemed illegal by the High Court in the 1990s.

"Many of these fights are reportedly conducted in fields within the jurisdiction of the concerned police station and it is difficult to believe the police authorities have no means of identifying those responsible.... The photographs annexed show the pictorial representation of the bulls that are likely to be involved in the fight on Easter... the bullfights are scheduled to take place at Benaulim..." Justices AK Menon and RN Laddha said in their order.

While bullfights are illegally held throughout the year, the frequency of such fights increase ahead of festive occasions like Easter.

"It was found that the police need support by way of a team of bull catchers, consensus on the application of relevant provisions of IPC, mapping of all bulls for their identification on their rescue including by use of RFID tags/microchips," the order also said.

The Justices have also directed the petitioner to make a formal presentation of the bull-fight issue to the state Director General of Police, while stating that the latter should then put a plan in place to put severe restrictions on the illegal sport.

"The Director General of Police shall take this complaint into account and investigate the complaint and take it to its logical conclusion," the High Court order also said.

"At that meeting, the Director General of Police shall briefly assess the plan, and thereafter, devise steps for the purpose of enforcing the bana including by identifying the organisers and suggesting a mechanism whereby his officers suitably identified for that purposes are granted necessary authority and powers and directed to prevent and in cases of undetected fights take appropriate action in accordance with the law," the Court also said.

Once a popular post harvest sport, bullfights or dhirio was banned in Goa two decades ago following directions of the Bombay High Court bench in Panaji in the 1990s.

But bullfights are organised clandestinely in several villages across the coastline.

The Goa legislative assembly in 2015 had formed a House Committee to explore ways and means to legalise bullfighting in the ambit of the exiting laws related to animal cruelty law.