E-Paper
Animal sacrifices resume in Tripura 57 days after ban
During that time, the HC also ordered the concerned district magistrates to install cameras at Tripureswari or Tripurasundari temple in Gomati district and Chaturdash Devata Bari Temple in West district where acts of animal sacrifices are carried out.
After 57 days of the Tripura High Court’s ban on animal sacrifices in the temples mainly at Tripurasundari temple, a similar ritual was resumed on Sunday according to an interim order of the apex court.
The High Court’s Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjoy Karol and justice Arindam Lodh on September 27 gave the verdict in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by retired judge Subhash Bhattacharjee in 2018.
During that time, the HC also ordered the concerned district magistrates to install cameras at Tripureswari or Tripurasundari temple in Gomati district and Chaturdash Devata Bari Temple in West district where acts of animal sacrifices are carried out.
“The Supreme Court admitted the Special Leave Petition on November 8 filed by the Tripura government regarding the matter. The Supreme Court gave an interim order saying animal sacrifices will be allowed if they followed certain instructions. Following the apex court’s interim order, animal sacrifices resumed today at Tripurasundari temple,” said Advocate General Arun Kanti Bhowmik.
Chandan Chakraborty, head priest of Tripurasundari temple admitted about the animal sacrifices saying that they resumed the ritual after receiving permission of the Gomati district magistrate TK Debnath, who is also a ‘sevait’ of the temple.
“We got permission from the district magistrate for animal sacrifices from today (Sunday). Around 40 goats were sacrificed today,” said Chakraborty.
Earlier, he said that the High Court order regarding animal sacrifices ban came to the temple from the local administration on October 5.
According to an agreement signed in 1949, that merged Tripura with the Union India, the state government used to sponsor animal sacrifices in many temples including the Tripurasundari temple till the High Court order came out.
Located in Udaipur of Gomati district, 55 kilometers from Agartala, the Tripurasundari temple is considered to be one of the holiest shrines of the country. According to Tripura’s royal record, the erstwhile king Dhanya Manikya Bahadur built the temple in 1501 following a divine order from ‘Aadishakti’ in his dream.
