IT Correspondent
Guwahati, July 2:
Ahead of Eid al-Adha (scheduled for 20, 21 July), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India appeals to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for preventing the sacrifices of thousands of cows, buffalos, camels, goats, chickens, etc during the religious festival across Bharat. The animal’s rights forum argues that the section 28 of the prevention of cruelty to animals act of 1960 that allows any animal to be killed in any manner for religious purposes, should be scrapped.
PETA India had recently submitted its recommendations (https://www.petaindia.com/media/peta-india-urges-anti-speciesist-theme-in-prevention-of-cruelty-to-animals-act-revision/) to the animal welfare board following the Centre’s initiative to amend the particular act asking to revise the particular act arguing replace the pronoun ‘it’ with ‘he or she’ while referring to animals as a first step towards recognizing them as living beings and not objects.
It strongly argues that the exemption given for animal sacrifice goes against the very purpose of the act, as it causes unnecessary pain and suffering to the animals and that should be outdated in a modern society. Mentioning about many States already banning animal sacrifices, the forum emphasized on a comprehensive prohibition over the activities throughout the country.
Mentionable is that the States of Gujarat, Kerala, Puducherry and Rajasthan have already formulated laws to prohibit the religious sacrifice of any animal in the temple or its precinct. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka prohibit it in any place of public worship or any congregation or procession connected with religious functions on a public street.
“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 should be treated as punishable cruelty,” stated PETA India chief executive officer Dr Manilal Valliyate adding that lately many people start engaging in sacrifices by distributing wealth, clothes, fruits, etc (without harming animals).
With its clear motto that ‘animals are not ours to abuse in any way’, PETA India also sent a series of letters to the State (also union territories) police chiefs urging them to take precautionary measures to stop the illegal transportation and killing of animals in the lead-up to Eid al-Adha, where the animals are beheaded, twisted and slitted throats to die while they remain in full conscious mode.
