The president of Vishwa Prani Kalyana Mandali and Basava Dharma Jnana Peetha Sri Dayanand Swami has urged the Belagavi district administration to take requisite steps and strict measures to prevent animal sacrifice during the ‘Yallamma Devi Jatra Mahotsav’ at Kokatnur in Athani taluk of Belagavi district.
Addressing presspersons in Belagavi on Friday, Dayanand Swami devotees from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa would be visiting Kokatnur to participate in the fair being held from January 6 to 11 and there were chances of animal sacrifices in the name of religion happening.
“As per Prevention of Animal Sacrifices Act, 1959, killing animals in the name God and religion at temple premises, places of worship, religious conventions or congregations and at public places was prohibited and is a punishable offence. However, people, due to blind faith and lack of awareness, took part in animal sacrifices to please the deities, which is highly condemnable,” he said.
The swami said that although because of the Act and HC order on prevention of animal sacrifices and awareness campaigns by various organisations, the instances of animal sacrifices had come down, failure to ensure strict vigil would further pave way for such inhuman practices in the name of religion.
So he would request the district administration to take stringent measures to prevent any sort such inhuman practices of killing animals to please the deities. He added that through Kalyana Mandali, they had been organising awareness campaigns in the places surrounding Kokatnur about the need for stop animal sacrifices during fairs and festivals.
DC issues order
Responding to the plea submitted by Dayanand Swami and others through memorandum to Belagavi district administration seeking measures to prevent animal sacrifices at Kokatnur Yallamma Devi Fair, Deputy Commissioner of Belagavi Nitesh Patil issued an order on Friday prohibiting any kind of animal sacrifice during the fair at Kokatnur.
