Orissa high court order upsets locals

BHAWANIPATNA: The Orissa high court order banning animal sacrifice during Chatar Yatra has not gone down well with locals in Kalahandi district, with many terming the verdict one-sided.
Parmanand Majhi, vice-president of State Adivasi Sangh, said the religious sentiment of tribals could not be suppressed as animals had been sacrificed for years on the occasion.
"We are not disrespecting the court order but tribals will not obey it. Tribals believe in animal sacrifice which cannot be stopped by anyone. They don't believe in offering fruits before the deity. Even the district administration will not be able to stop the sacrifice of animals," Majhi warned.
Devi Sindoor, the vice-president of the district Congress committee, said locals would never obey the court directive. "Until the mindset of the locals change, animal sacrifice will continue," Sindoor said.
Bhawanipatna resident Satya Narayan Mahapatra said the high court order had hurt the sentiments of lakhs of devotees. "A number of PILs have been filed in court in the past 12 years, but animal sacrifice could not be stopped," Mahapatra said.