Buffalo sacrificed in Chittor temple to mark Mahanavami

UDAIPUR: Unfazed by the hue and cry against animal sacrifices in the name of worship, a 'pashu bali' was performed at one of the prominent temples in Chittorgarh on the occasion of Mahanavami to appease Goddess Kali on Monday.

Hundreds of villagers gathered to witness the sacrifice of a male buffalo which was offered to the Goddess by some influential persons from the area.

District collector Chetanram Deora and SP (Chittorgarh) Anil Kayal have ordered separate probes after video clips of the sacrifice went viral on the social media. "The incident has been brought to my notice and an FIR would be registered. All those who were involved in the inhuman act would be identified and arrested," the SP told TOI.

The incident took place in the Chamunda temple situated on a hillock in Tana village under Akola police station limits in Chittorgarh district on Monday noon. A buffalo was sacrificed in the temple premises in the presence of a mass gathering. Villagers waited down at the foothill to see the animal's chopped head come tumbling down.

It is a belief that if the head falls 400-feet down the hill, there will be good rain next year and if the head gets stuck in between, it would result in poor monsoon .

Surprisingly, the sacrifice was made in the presence of the sarpanch, former sarpanch and Akola police officials who were on duty there. No one dared to prevent the barbaric tradition.

Akola SHO Ramesh Chand Meena told media that three cops from Akola police station and two from Kapasan police station were sent on duty to oversee law and order during the religious ceremony at the Chamunda temple. "I have heard about the tradition of animal sacrifice there but I was away on duty at Kapasan. I will seek details from the policemen who were on duty there and do the needful," the SHO said. According to animal activists, there is no blanket ban on animal sacrifice in India. However, cruelty towards animals is a punishable offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, 1960.