Following Protest By Buddhist Majority And Few Hindu Groups, Sri Lanka To Ban Animal Sacrifices At Hindu Temples

Sri Lanka might be all set to ban animal sacrifice at Hindu temples under a new plan which was announced last week, Agence France-Presse reported. This is said to have been brought on following protest by the country’s Buddhist majority and some Hindus. The Hindus constitute about 12 per cent of the nation’s 21 million population.

As per the report, the minister for Hindu religious affairs had put forth a proposal to outlaw the practice which is still followed in various temples throughout the country.

The practice which involves sacrificing goats, buffaloes and chicken is said to have offended Sri Lankans and animal rights activists. Despite there not being any such law, the nation’s courts have earlier imposed bans on this practice from time to time.

The report claims that the law would only apply to Hindus after mentioning that Muslims - the third largest religion in the country, also conduct animal sacrifices.

Incidentally, such a ban was also enforced in Tamil Nadu back in 2003 when the state government led by the late J Jayalalithaa had state passed an order asking District Collectors and police officials to abolish animal sacrifice in temples by strictly enforcing a 1950 state law which banned such a sacrifice.

This order was not received well and following a backlash and an electoral rout in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, the Tamil Nadu government rescinded it.

Even Nepal has taken an issue with animal sacrifices at Hindu temples and in 2015, the country’s temple authorities had announced that they would put a stop to a centuries-old Hindu tradition of animal sacrifice during the Gadhimai festival, held every five years.