Animal sacrifice at fair: Seer appeals to administration, police

The head of Basava Dharma Jnana Peetha and president of ‘Vishwa Prani Kalyana Mandali’ Dayanand Swami has appealed to the Dharwad district administration and the Police Department to take effective steps to prevent any kind of animal sacrifice and offering of body parts of animals in the ‘Holeyamma Devi Jatra’ (fair) to be held at Tabakada Honalli in Kalaghatagi taluk of Dharwad district.

In a press release, Dayanand Swami said that while animal sacrifice had been prohibited in the State, instances of animal sacrifices continued to be reported during village fairs and he would request the administration to take effective steps to prevent the same in Tabakada Honalli.

The ‘Holeyamma Devi Jatra’ is scheduled to be held from October 31 to November 4 and going by the previous records, animal sacrifices were likely to be done by the devotees out of ignorance and superstition. So he would request the administration and the police to take effective steps so as to prevent any kind of sacrifice on the temple premises, its surroundings and also on the roads leading to the temple, he has said.

The seer has also appealed to the devotees not to convert the temples into slaughterhouses during the fairs, which was not only illegal but also against religion. The devotes should shun animal sacrifice and instead perform puja and other rituals in a non-violent manner, he urged. The Temple Management Committee too should take requisite measures, he has said.

Published - October 30, 2024 10:05 pm IST