Several people have welcomed the decision of the Baira Kalimata Mandir (temple) Committee in Kaliyaganj in North Dinajpur district to ban animal sacrifice in their temple from this year.
The members of the temple committee had taken a decision to this effect in a meeting they held reently, it is learnt. Members of People for Animals, North Dinajpur district, have thanked the committee for taking such h a decision, while intellectuals too have expressed happiness about the ban of mass animal sacrifice in the famous temple.
It is said that the Baira Kalimata Mandir in Kaliyaganj is one of the most popular temples in North Dinajpur district, while thousands if devotees from far and wide turn up at the temple during Kali Puja. Earlier, more than 500 goats used to be sacrificed on the night of Kali Puja on the temple premises. In addition, numerous pigeons were also killed and sacrifice was offered there.
“For a long period, people had appealed to us to stop such animal sacrifice. So this year, in a meeting of our temple committee, we unanimously banned animal sacrifice on the temple premises,” a member of the temple Committee Tapan Chakraborty said.
The Secretary of the People For Animals in North Dinajpur district, Gautam Tantia, said, “The open mass slaughter of animals at the temple would spread pollution. In addition, it would had an ill effect on children. For the past many years, we put up banners and distributed leaflets, appealing to people to not offer animal sacrifices in the temple.
The temple committee has finally accepted our appeal. We thank them for taking such an important decision.