Karimnagar: FIR Registered for Goat Sacrifice Following Intervention by PETA India, Smt Maneka Gandhi and SAFI Hyderabad
In response to videos depicting the hideous killing of goats within the premises of Pochamma Temple in Rekurthi Village, Karimnagar, on 29 June, PETA India, with the intervention of Smt Maneka Gandhi and in coordination with the Stray Animal Foundation of India (SAFI) Hyderabad, have successfully facilitated the registration of a first information report (FIR) at Kothapalli Police Station.
The appalling video evidence depicts multiple goats being subjected to violent throat-slitting using knives, resulting in fear and pain, suffering, and ultimately their deaths in a gruesome and barbaric manner. This hideous act was carried out in broad daylight and in full public view.
PETA India coordinated with the Kothapalli Police for the prompt registration of the FIR, following a formal complaint filed by Mr. Adulapuram Goutham, Cruelty Prevention Manager at SAFI, Hyderabad. The FIR has been registered against the individual seen in the video under Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023; Section 6 of the Telangana Animals and Birds Sacrifices Prohibition Act (TABSPA), 1950; and Section 11(1)(a) and 11(1)(i) 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. Section 6 of the TABSPA, 1950 makes it punishable for any person to knowingly allow any sacrifice to be performed at any place that is in their possession or under their control, as well as for anyone who officiates, performs, or participates in the sacrifice of an animal in any congregation. Section 11 of the PCA Act, 1960, defines “cruelty” and makes the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering upon any animal a punishable offence.
PETA India commends Sri Venkataraman, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Karimnagar, for swiftly directing the registration of the FIR and sending the message that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated. 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 embarking on space missions, the archaic practice of animal sacrifice must end. It is a necessity for our societal evolution.
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.
Gujarat, Kerala, Puducherry, and Rajasthan already have specific laws in place prohibiting the religious sacrifice of any animal in any temple or its precinct. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana prohibit it in any place of public religious worship or adoration or its precinct or in any congregation or procession connected with religious worship on a public street.
