Animal sacrifice be allowed only in licensed slaughterhouses: BJP MP

A BJP MP on Tuesday demanded that the section of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, that allows the killing of animals for religious reasons to be removed and sacrifice of animals be mandated only at licensed slaughterhouses.

Raising the issue in Lok Sabha during a discussion on matters of urgent public importance under Rule 377, BJP's Raipur MP Sunil Kumar Soni said section 28 of the said act that allows the killing of animals for religious reasons should be done away with.

Every year goats, buffalo, and camels are killed by people in an unhygienic way, he said.

''Animals are killed in public places besides slaughterhouses. The blood and organs of the slaughtered animals have a negative impact on the environment. Consumption of meat of animals slaughtered in this manner is harmful to health because there is no health safety check of the animals that are slaughtered,'' Soni said.

''It is my request that article 28 of the said act be removed and those who want to sacrifice animals they should be allowed to do so only in licensed slaughterhouses,'' the BJP MP said.