Animal activists condemn Nepal's animal sacrifice ritual

Karachi News.Net
Thursday 26th November, 2009

Immense cruelty to animals has occurred at the world’s largest killing fair on Nepal’s Terai plains.

Animal rights activists have condemned the violence which involved the ritual slaughter of thousands of animals and birds.

Hundreds of carcasses of butchered water buffaloes, goats and other animals were strewn near the temple of Hindu goddess Gadhimai in Bara district, where the sacrifices happened.

According to witnesses, the butchering was carried out randomly in a radius of 3 kilometres around the temple where animals were killed with knife or sword.

They said that in many cases, the animals died slowly due to the butchering inexperience of the participants.

Thousands of animals were randomly hacked at with blunt knives and swords.

While the Gadhimai Fair has been promoted as a cultural event, animal welfare organisations have branded it a travesty which legitimises violence against the innocent.

Condemnations have been flooding in through the Internet, blaming the coalition government of Nepal for the wanton killings, which are promoted by Hindu priests who tell devotees wishes will come true only if there is an offering of an expensive buffalo, goat or other kind of animal.

It is believed the event is also promoted by a Maoist-led organising committee, which collects revenues and votes from the faithful.

After the event this year, members of the Indian and Nepalese so-called untouchable class, the Dalits, flocked to the charnel house to collect the carcasses.

They clashed with the contractors who had paid the temple authorities to carry away the meat by the truckload.

Finally the mounds of bodies proved too large for either group and bulldozers were called in to dig deep pits to bury the remaining carcasses.

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