Balangir, Jan. 6: The district administration on Monday imposed prohibitory orders at the main site and two other places in Khairguda and Kumuria to curb the tradition of animal sacrifice by local residents during the Sulia festival on Tuesday.
The tribal organisations have vowed to carry out the age-old practice and had spurned the suggestions of the district administration at a meeting last week.
Secretary of Joint Sulia Puja Committee of Khairguda and Kumuria Maya Padhani said that there would go ahead with animal sacrifice during the festival at any cost.
Mohan Bhoi of Sulia Sanskar Manch, an outfit which has been fighting against the tradition of animal sacrifice, alleged that Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animal, a government organisation, was defunct though the district collector was its chairman and superintendent of police its vice chairman.
“The administration has been promulgating Section 144 at the festival site for the last several years. It is all that they do. Only prohibitory orders wouldn’t serve the purpose, they need to implement the high court directive to create awareness among the people.”
This time, too, the district administration has clamped Section 144 of the CrPC at the main festival site in Khairguda, the San Khala and Nua Khala. Four platoons of police have also been deployed.
However, unlike previous years the district administration didn’t take any initiative to generate awareness against animal sacrifice during the festival.
Balangir sub-collector Jyoti Ranjan Pradhan said the district administration had also booked 26 persons, including some members of the Zilla Adivasi Kalyan Sangha and priests of the Sulia festival.
“They will, not be allowed to enter the festival site,” he said. Undeterred by the prohibitory orders, Padhani said: “There is no question of going back on our stand.”