Despite a Supreme Court ban on animal duels, traditional buffalo fights, known locally as Moh juj, were held on January 15 as part of Magh Bihu celebrations in sections of the Morigaon district in central Assam. According to local media accounts, the events in Baidyabori and Ahatguri attracted sizable crowds of locals. However, officials refused to comment, claiming that the matter is still pending. More than forty pairs of buffaloes were brought to Baidyabori by their owners, and some fights were said to have lasted longer than twenty minutes.
33 pairs of buffaloes competed in Ahatguri, one of the most well-known locations for the custom, drawing hundreds of people eager to see the ancient custom that takes place in conjunction with the Magh Bihu harvest festival. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) allowing buffalo and bulbul bird battles during Magh Bihu was previously released by the Assam government in 2023. But in December 2024, the Gauhati High Court invalidated the SOP due to infractions of a 2014 Supreme Court ruling that prohibited animal combat.
While buffalo battles are typically held in Morigaon, Sivasagar, and various Upper Assam districts, with Ahatguri being the most well-known location, bulbul bird fights are generally held at the Hayagriva Madhav Temple in Hajo in Kamrup district. In the meantime, by changing current legislation, the state administration has started the process of legalizing the customary buffalo fights. Similar to the exemption given to Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Assam Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was unanimously passed by the Assam Assembly in November, aims to exclude traditional buffalo fights from the concept of animal cruelty.