FIR Registered for Goat Sacrifice in Bemetra Following Intervention by PETA India
In response to videos depicting the killing of a goat during the annual temple sacrifice for Holi near Siddhi Mata Mandir in Sandi Village, Bemetara, Chhattisgarh, reportedly on 05 March, PETA India, with help from local activist Harish Chouhan, has successfully facilitated the registration of a first information report (FIR) at Bemetara Police Station. The video evidence depicts a goat being beheaded and killed with knives—which would have resulted in fear and pain—in broad daylight.
PETA India coordinated with the Bemetara Police to ensure the FIR was registered promptly following a complaint filed by Harish Chouhan. The FIR has been registered under Section 325 and Section 3 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and Section 11(1)(a) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.
Section 325 of the BNS, 2023, categorises the maiming or killing of any animal as a cognisable offence and prescribes a punishment of imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years, or with a fine, or with both. Killing animals illegally by several persons in furtherance of a common intention is a punishable offence under Section 3(5) of BNS 2023. Section 11 of the PCA Act, 1960, defines “cruelty” and makes the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering upon any animal a punishable offence. We commend Senior Superintendent of Police, Bemetara, Shri Ramkrishna Sahu, IPS, for swiftly directing the registration of the FIR and sending the message that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.
The Supreme Court has ordered that animals can be slaughtered only in licensed slaughterhouses and that municipal authorities must ensure compliance with this ruling. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, permit the slaughter of animals for food only in licensed slaughterhouses equipped with species-specific stunning equipment.
Animal sacrifice is both cruel to animals and a danger to society. It desensitises us to violence and reinforces obsolete beliefs that hinder progress. Just as human sacrifice is now treated as murder, at a time when India is advancing its AI infrastructure, the archaic practice of animal sacrifice must end. It is a necessity for our societal evolution.
