Unidentified persons booked under sections of IPC, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act
Nagpur: Animal sacrifice at a temple in Kamptee evoked strong action by police and condemnation from BJP MP Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday. In a first of its kind, an offence has been registered under various sections of Indian Penal Code, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 and Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 1995 and probe initiated in this connection.
The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon at Durga Saptashakti Temple in Kamptee. The matter came to light as a 24-year-old woman, named Srushti Chahande Dhoble, was passing by the temple. She heard wailing noises of animals. When she went inside, she saw three goats, brutally tied up with garlands around their necks. They seemed to be crying out in pain, she said, adding that many children were also present at the temple.
Srushti then started video recording the initial stages of the process, following which she landed up in a heated argument with the locals who allegedly did not allow her to enter the temple. She then sought support from the city’s animal activist Karishma Galani who is also a member of the Government’s Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). On her part, Galani immediately raised the issue with Maneka Gandhi who directed local police officials to take urgent action. A team of cops reached the temple and seized two goats. According to Srushti, one goat was already sacrificed by then.
Kamptee police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against unidentified persons under various sections of the IPC, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act. Cops are investigating the matter and trying to identify the owner of the temple and other people involved in the act.
Sacrificing animals post the festive season of Navratri is a common practice in many parts of the country.
