Friday, 14 January 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) members Niharika Kapoor and Rubina Nitin Iyer have complained to the district administration regarding illegal animal slaughter in the Jaunsar-Bawar region of Dehradun district. According to Kapoor, Teej festival begins on January 10 and is celebrated for a few days in the Jaunsar region. Animal sacrifice is said to be carried out to initiate this festival. Animals are ‘offered’ to god in temples after which they are sacrificed. Despite the orders of the Uttarakhand High Court in 2011 as well as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 and the Guidelines of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), this year too, animal sacrifice took place in Jaunsar, she said.
“The law is very clear- select species of animals can be slaughtered and only in registered slaughter houses, according to specifically prescribed standards. The Uttarakhand Animal Welfare Board has conducted several public awareness campaigns and workshops in the State since 2015. Yet, instances of animal sacrifice are being reported in the Jaunsar-Bawar region,” said Kapoor while also citing reports published in the local media. The two SPCA members have written to the Dehradun district magistrate R Rajesh Kumar requesting that in the interest of upholding the law and preventing further cruelty, a task force consisting of a representative of the local Gram Panchyat, district level police officer, Food Safety inspector and Chief Veterinary Officer is constituted at the earliest.
