The Lok Sabha on Tuesday saw two interesting interventions by two members, one from the BJP and another from the Shiv Sena, which pertained to the treatment of animals.
Raising the issues when matters under Rule 377 were allowed, around 2 p.m. in the Lok Sabha, Sunil Kumar Soni, BJP MP from Raipur in Chhattisgarh, said that there was a need to rescind Section 28 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which allowed killing of animals as part of religious observances.
He raised objections to the killing of animals such as goats, buffaloes and camels to mark religious observances, by untrained people and in an "extreme cruel manner".
"Blood and body parts of these animals also lead to polluting the environment," he said, reiterating that such a practice should not be allowed under the law. "If sacrificing animals is required to mark religious ritual, then it should be allowed only in licensed butcher houses," he said.
Worship of live snakes
Dhairyasheel Sambhaji Rao Mane of the Shiv Sena, representing Hatkanangale constituency, demanded that the worship of live snakes in Shirola village under his constituency on ‘Nag Panchami’, which had been going on for centuries, be permitted as it was now not so under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
He said that the village had a long-standing tradition of worshipping live snakes as part of its religious observance during ‘Nag Panchami’ and the Wildlife Protection Act was coming in the way of doing it in a legal manner.
"Snakes live among us and farmers think of them as friends. Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution give citizens the right to practise their religion and manage religious affairs. In 2014, under former Cabinet Secretary S.R. Subramaniam, a committee had been formed to go into these issues. In its 106-page report with 55 recommendations it went into all these issues, especially cattle races and worship of live snakes," he said.
