Bhubaneswar 
Animals butchered in Sulia
Yatra once again
Animals butchered in Sulia
Yatra once again
WEDNESDAY,
16 JANUARY 2013 19:32
SUDHIR
MISHRA | BALANGIR
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Defying
the prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC promulgated by the district
administration and despite deployment of massive police force, large numbers of
animals were sacrificed at Khairgulda, 20 km from here, during the Sulia Yatra
on Tuesday.
Sheep, goats and chicken
were butchered even at the main Yatra site of Badakhala for the first time
after a gap of seven years, much to the dismay of animal lovers. The gory
annual event continued to take place notwithstanding the Odisha HC’s order to
the district administration stop such cruelty to animals.
Surprisingly, the police
denied having information about animal killings at Badakhala. DSP Niranjan
Mishra said, “We don’t have any such information,” although he was sitting just
300 km from Badakhala. Balangir Sub-Collector Jyoti Ranjan Pradhan also described
the report of killing of animals as “not correct.” A total of 10 platoons
police force were deployed. Section 144 was in force at Badakhala and Saan
Khala of Kuahirguda and Kumaria villages to restrain people from indulging in
mass animal sacrifices, informs Balangir SP R Prakash to this correspondent.
The Yatra is held every
year by tribals on the first Tuesday of the Shukla Paksha of the month of
Pausha and animals are killed in thousands. The tribals maintain that killing
of animals is part of their tradition and nobody should interfere in their
rituals.
At a meeting held by the
district administration a few days ago, representatives of the Sulia Sanskar
Manch, an organisation which has been campaigning against animal killings
during the Yatra had chosen to remain absent. As per the rituals, animals were
killed after the traditional worship at the main Puja place, Khairguda, on
Tuesday.
Tribal leader
Satyanarayan Bhoi said, “We had held a meeting with the district administration
for smooth conduct of the Suliia Yatra. The anti-tribal people had motivated
the priests not to follow our rituals. Nobody should interfere in our festivals
and customs.
“I brought this animal
for “offering to Goddess Sulia as my desire was fulfilled recently,” said
Ranjan, a youth of Khairguda. A buffalo is also offered to the goddess,
informed another man of Khairguda.
A priest, Biranchi Kuanr,
said, “While I was performing Puja in a previous year, one of my sons died.
This disheartened me. Hence, I sided with those people who were against animal
sacrifice and tried to stop the practice... Today, people offered animals to
the goddess as their ‘desires’ have been fulfilled.”
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There is a typological errorin the news.
ReplyDeleteRather than 300km away ,it is 300meters away from Spot where in the DSP and others were sitting.