'Animal sacrifice' incident reported in Kota, FIR filed

Kota, Oct 8 (PTI) An incident of alleged animal sacrifice was reported in Rajasthan's Kota following which a case was registered against three-four people, police said on Wednesday.

The matter came to fore after a video, purportedly of the incident, made rounds on social media where a buffalo calf was seen being beheaded.

On the basis of the video, animal rights group PETA filed a complaint.

The police on Monday registered a case against 3-4 persons, two of them identified as Badri Singh and Bharat Singh, under the relevant sections of the BNS and the Rajasthan Animals and Birds Sacrifices (Prohibition) Act, 1975 for killing an animal, DSP Ghanshyam Meena said.

"The concerned video on social media is also being examined and other people involved in gruesome incident are also being identified," the DSP added.

In another incident in Churu, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Sujangarh directed the Salasar police station to issue a strict warning to the temple committee to ensuring that no animals were killed or harmed during the festive season.

The decision was taken after the police received information that animal sacrifices, particularly of goats, were planned over the nine days of Navratri, from 22 September to 2 October, as part of annual rituals at Bhairavji Mataji temple in Bobasar Charnan village, officials said.

In its complaint, PETA India highlighted that the Rajasthan Animals and Birds Sacrifice (Prohibition) Act, 1975, expressively bans animal sacrifice in temples, temple premises, and other places of public religious worship. PTI COR APL NB