Thousands of chicks saved from scarifice at Mangai Devi Temple in Belagavi

Belagavi

Thousands of chicks have been saved from ritual sacrifice at the Mangai Devi Temple in Belagavi this year, thanks to swift intervention by PETA India, local activists, and spiritual leader Shri Dayananda Swamiji.

Every year during the Ashada month festival held from July 20 to 25, thousands of devotees traditionally purchase live chicks on temple premises and toss them onto the sanctum roof as part of an offering. Many of the birds die on impact, while the survivors are reportedly collected and resold, continuing the cycle of cruelty.

Acting on complaints filed by PETA India and activists Nikita Kunthe and Aditya Hawal, the Commissioner of Police and the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Belagavi were alerted to the issue. Shri Dayananda Swamiji of Prani Daya Sangha also submitted a formal complaint, prompting the DC to issue an official order banning animal sacrifice during this year’s festival.

In response, Belagavi city police deployed personnel at the temple site, installed banners highlighting the illegality of animal sacrifice, and monitored the proceedings to ensure compliance. On July 22, local activists confirmed that no chicks were being used in rituals this year. Authorities also put up posters explicitly discouraging animal sacrifice.

“PETA India commends the DC & DM, Belagavi and the Belagavi police for issuing an order prohibiting the abuse of thousands of chicks this year,” said Sinchana Subramanyan, Cruelty Response Coordinator, PETA India. “Just as human sacrifice is recognised and condemned as murder, cruelty to animals in the name of religion must also be abolished.”

PETA India’s complaint cited Section 3 of the Karnataka Prevention of Animal Sacrifices Act, 1959, which bans animal sacrifice in or around places of public religious worship. Sections 4 and 5 further prohibit participation in or facilitation of such rituals, and Section 6 makes violations punishable under law.

Additionally, PETA India referred to Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which deems group involvement in illegal animal killings a punishable offense. Section 325 of the BNS allows for up to five years’ imprisonment or fines for those who mischievously kill animals.

While states like Gujarat, Kerala, Puducherry, and Rajasthan already prohibit animal sacrifices in temples, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana extend the ban to any public religious setting or procession.

PETA India, advocating against speciesism—the belief in human superiority over other species—continues to push for the end of animal cruelty under the guise of tradition.

For more Karnataka news developments click here