Bhubaneswar, Jan. 12: Hundreds of goats and hens were slaughtered today as members of the tribal community in Balangir celebrated Sulia yatra hoping for a good harvest.

Sources said around 10 platoons of police force deployed at Khairaguda, the venue of the annual festival, looked on as animal sacrifices had been going on for hours.

The district administration, which had held meetings with leaders of the tribal community yesterday to persuade them to stop the practice, decided not to interfere with the rituals in view of a Supreme Court verdict in September last year.

The court had ruled that animal sacrifice, being a sensitive issue, was better dealt with by representatives of the people at appropriate forums.

While the judgment tied the hands of the administration, it came as a shot in the arms of the supporters of the animal slaughter ritual during the yatra.

With a majority of the tribal community insisting on carrying with the age-old tradition, the district administration restricted itself to sensitising people to build up moral pressure on the festival organisers.

Reports reaching here said that people dressed in their traditional attire marched in a procession to the festival site at Khairaguda, around 35km from the district headquarters town of Balangir, and began the ritual killing of goats and birds, mainly hens, around 9am.

Members of the community believe that sacrifices at the altar of the Sulia deity bring about happiness and a good harvest.

Zila Adivasi Kalyan Sangh president Braja Singh Bhoi said animal slaughter was an age-old tradition and it must be respected. Bhoi expressed his satisfaction following the sacrificial rituals at Khairaguda today.

The majority of the tribal community of Balangir has hailed the Supreme Court verdict, describing it as the victory of tradition.

Sources said representatives of the pro-sacrifice Milita Suliya Puja Samiti was adamant on the tradition of animal sacrifice being carried on and had refused to even consider the administration's request to scale down the ritual bloodshed at Khairaguda. It has been at loggerheads with the local administration and animal rights activists in the past and its members have been arrested for violating prohibitory orders at the Khairaguda venue for slaughtering goats and hens.

An appeal by chief Suliya priest Biranchi Kuanr to shun the ritual animal slaughter also fell on deaf ears.

Animal rights activists campaigning against the practice of animal sacrifice had also sought to put pressure on the administration to stop the ritual. However, their efforts did not yield results as the administration chose not to interfere with the rituals.

The festival is named after Lord Shiv, who carries a trident called Trisula. The God, who carries a sula is called Sulia baba.

Tribal people from several districts, including Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Kalahandi, Dhenkanal and Angul, came to Balangir to offer their sacrifices.