PETA Fires Off Letter To Rajinikanth Asking Him To Dissuade His Fans From Sacrificing Goats

Following news that Rajinikanth fans plan to slaughter goats in his name at a temple in Madurai on 7 January after hearing of his decision to launch a political party, PETA has fired off a letter to the superstar urging him to dissuade his fans from going through with the plan.

In the letter, PETA Public Policy Lead Nikunj Sharma states, “The power you already hold can help make a positive difference to the lives of all living beings and we are therefore writing to respectfully request that you use it now to stop the planned slaughter of goats in your name.” He adds, “The plan of your fans to kill goats in a temple is cruel and an apparent violation of Indian laws. Goats who are killed are usually transported and handled roughly and hacked at with dull knives in full view of their terrified companions.”

Killing an animal outside a licensed slaughterhouse is an apparent violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, which state, “No person shall slaughter any animal within a municipal area except in a slaughter house recognised or licensed by the concerned authority empowered under the law for the time being in force to do so.” Such a sacrifice also apparently violates The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which states that anyone who “mutilates any animal or kills any animal … by using the method of strychnine injections, in the heart or in any other unnecessarily cruel manner” is committing a punishable offence. The planned slaughter may also be considered a violation of Section 429 of The Indian Penal Code, which affirms that killing or maiming an animal is a punishable offence.

You, too, can take action to help spare these goats’ lives by writing to the District Collector of Madurai, the Superintendent of Police of Madurai, and the Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu using the information below to request that they prevent the sacrifice from taking place.

Thiru K Veera Raghava Rao, IAS
District Collector of Madurai
E-mail: [email protected]

N Manivannan
Superintendent of Police of Madurai
E-mail: [email protected]

Thiru TK Rajendran, IPS
Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu
E-mail: [email protected]

Here’s what else you can do about animal sacrifice: