The Supreme Court has granted the Himachal Pradesh government one month to respond to allegations of routine animal sacrifices during traditional rituals, particularly at the Bhunda Mahayagya in Rohru, held in January. Justices JK Maheshwari and Aravind Kumar of the Supreme Court bench have provided the state four weeks to file a counter affidavit addressing these serious allegations.
The petition, brought forth by the Animal Welfare Board of India and activist Gauri Maulekhi, details instances of animal sacrifice at the Bhunda Mahayagya from January 2 to 5, highlighting this practice as a violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The event, which attracted nearly half a million participants, took place in Spail Valley, Shimla district, after a hiatus of 39 years. This ritual, rooted in the tradition of the rulers of the erstwhile Bushehar princely state, involves the sacrifice of goats and sheep and is believed to benefit the region’s crucial apple crop. The late Virbhadra Singh, a former chief minister and erstwhile ruler, had been a patron of this Mahayagya.
Despite preemptive notices sent on December 30 to local authorities including the Shimla deputy commissioner and the Rohru superintendent of police, urging them to prevent this illegal practice, the petition asserts that no actions were taken to curb the sacrifices. It further mentioned that distressing videos of the animal sacrifices at the event surfaced on social media, depicting large crowds engaging in what has been described as barbaric acts.
Additional instances of such sacrifices were reported in January 2024 at Gavas village in Rohru, where goats were killed and their bodies were disposed of by being thrown from the rooftops of temples. The petition also states that such sacrifices are a regular occurrence around the Ghatotkach and Hadimba Temples in Siyal, Manali.
