Animal sacrifice: Sulia turns gory again

BALANGIR: Hundreds of animals and birds were sacrificed in San Khala and Nua Khala villages in the name of tradition on Tuesday, in violation of the Orissa High Court ban order on animal sacrifice.In a bid to stop the gruesome practice, the police had promulgated prohibitory orders in Bad Khala, San Khala and Nua Khala in Khairguda and Kumuria under Deogaon block of the district since December 25.The police also invoked Section 107 of IPC against the 22 priests involved in the rituals and heavy police deployment, led by ASP Srikant Mishra, was made.In San Khala in Kumuria village, tribals armed with traditional weapons came in a procession and breached the police cordon to offer animals at the altar of the Goddess.The police were mute spectators to  the one-hour annual ritual.It continued for a much longer duration in Nua Khala where there deployment of force and prohibitory orders were not effective.The ban message, however, seems to have been adhered to by some people in Bad Khala where no animal was sacrificed. The rituals here passed off peacefully under the stewardship of head priest Biranchi Kunar.The animal sacrifice ritual takes place on  second Tuesday of the month of Pausa. An age-old tradition of the tribals it is celebrated mostly by Kandha tribes of western Odisha.