'No Person Shall Be Allowed To Sacrifice Animals, Birds For Religious Purposes In Temples': Tripura HC

On September 27, Friday, the Tripura High Court banned the sacrifice of birds or animals for religious reasons in all temples in the state.

The order was pronounced by a division bench of Chief Justice Sanjoy Karol and Justice Arindam Lodh after hearing public interest litigation.

“No person including the State shall be allowed to sacrifice any animal/bird within the precincts of any of the temples within the State of Tripura,” the order read.

All the district magistrates and superintendents of police of the state were directed by the bench to ensure that the order is implemented.

The state chief secretary was also directed to immediately install CCTV cameras at the state’s two major temples – Devi Tripureswari temple and Chaturdas Devata temple. A huge number of animals are sacrificed in these temples.

The bench also ordered the chief secretary to obtain soft copies of video recording by the CCTV cameras every month.

Temple Managements Remain Undeterred

However, the management of the Kamakhya temple in Assam remained undeterred and said that they are bound to follow these practices, which are centuries-old, according to which the devotees are free to offer sacrifices to the Goddess. Bor-Doloi Mohit Sarma, chief of the temple management, said that one animal is sacrificed each day as a part of the Nitya Puja and the tradition will continue.

When the devotees come forward to sacrifice before Maa, we don’t have a right to stop them,” The Times Of India quoted Sharma as saying.

Sharma cited a Supreme Court (SC) ruling issued in 2015, where the apex court was in favour of ensuring harmony of all faiths and religions and hence refused to interfere with the tradition followed by different communities.

On the outskirts of Guwahati, organizers of the historic Durga puja at Patgaon in Rani are already getting ready to welcome devotees to witness the buffalo sacrifice on Maha Ashtami.

Digendra Narayan Singha, a member of the royal family, said, “At present, devotees offer animals to the goddess with deep faith. How can we think of disrupting the tradition which runs through their veins?”

Also Read: To Bring “Prosperity & Wealth”, Thousands Of Owls Are Illegally Being Sacrificed During Diwali