Governor asks Bihar, Jharkhand to stop animal sacrifices

In a letter to both the Bihar and Jharkhand governments, the Governor of both the states, V.C. Pande, has directed them to immediately ban t...

In a letter to both the Bihar and Jharkhand governments, the Governor of both the states, V.C. Pande, has directed them to immediately ban the practice of animal sacrifice. ‘‘Steps may have to be taken to stop such sacrifices,’’ said the letters sent to the two states.

Principal Secretary to the Governor, Mithilesh Kumar, in letters to the chief secretaries of both states pointed out that animal sacrifice was punishable under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and has also asked that details be provided on the scale of the problem.

‘‘Certain understandings or written agreements, which also have the force of legal backup, made either before Independence of the country or thereafter should not be allowed to come in the way of stopping the custom,’’ the letter said.

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The issue was brought to the notice of the Governor by Vice-Chancellor of Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University Acharya Kishore Kunal. Kunal had submitted a note over the issue to the Governor on Monday.

‘‘Animal sacrifice is against Hindu religion. It is not sanctioned by the scriptures,’’ said Kunal.

He said that animal slaughter was going on ubabated at Baidyanath temple at Deoghar, Jharkhand as offering to Shiva.

The temple management spends over Rs 1 lakh for the purchase of the goats to be sacrificed, he said, adding that more sacrifices would be held next month.

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