Kerala police, PETA stop rooster sacrifice at Kozhikode temple

Kozhikode: The planned rooster sacrifice as part of an annual ritual at a temple in Kerala's Kozhikode district has been halted after intervention from local police and animal rights activists.

The ritual was scheduled by the local community and the management of a temple in Kunnummakkara, near Chombala, in northern Kerala. However, animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India became aware of the planned sacrifice and acted swiftly to prevent it.

Upon learning about the ritual, PETA India contacted the local Edachery Police, urging them to intervene. The police responded by issuing a notice to the temple, ensuring that no animals or birds would be sacrificed during the ritual. PETA confirmed this in a statement released on Monday.

PETA India had previously worked with local authorities to stop a similar sacrifice last year, the statement added.

Animal sacrifice condemned by PETA

Sinchana Subramanyan, Cruelty Response Coordinator at PETA India, condemned the practice, saying, "Just as human sacrifice is now recognised and condemned as murder, the outdated practice of animal sacrifice must also be abolished."

In its complaint, PETA India also emphasized that killing roosters illegally by a group of individuals is a punishable offense under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Specifically, Section 3(5) of the BNS makes such actions illegal. Section 325 of the BNS also states that unlawfully killing roosters can lead to imprisonment for up to five years, a fine, or both.

Agency