The local police stopped animal sacrifice in the 200-year-old Ma Kali temple at Katarapur in Jajpur district on Sunday night on the occasion of Diwali.
A large number of devotees had thronged the temple for sacrificing animals at the altar of the temple to appease the goddess. But police, officials and animal activists prevented them from doing so.
“The district administration organised several awareness meetings among the locals and priests of the temple to do away with animal sacrifice earlier but still when people came out in a large number to continue the act, we had to intervene,” said District Collector Anil Kumar Samal. “It is cruel and inhuman. We’ve always been a superstitious country, but I don’t think sacrifice has to be an unavoidable part of the Hindu religion,” said People for Animals district unit secretary Sudhanshu Parida.
However, priest Adikanda Panda criticised the decision of the authorities to stop animal sacrifice. Panda said, “The Goddess is appeased after offered with blood. She fulfills the wishes of her devotees after animal sacrifice. This is an age-old practice and it’s unfair to break it and hurt the religious sentiment of the people.”
It is really a pity that the Government and animal activists think that anything can be stopped by a ban or legislation. Animal sacrifice at temples might be considered a cruel act, but it has been taking place due to age-old beliefs and customs. Even if the Government wants to stop this practice, it should educate the people that gods cannot be appeased in a cruel means, before enacting a ban,” said retired teacher of Katarapur Basudev Das.