KAKINADA: Thousands of goats and sheep were slaughtered in East and West Godavari districts on Thursday and Friday in the name of propitiating Goddesses.
Several commercial organisations, educational institutions and individuals offered animal sacrifice to propitiate the Goddesses on the eve of Dasara. Even the highest institute of learning, the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada (JNTUK), offered animal sacrifice on the occasion. The university staff, in the presence of the JNTUK Vice Chancellor in-charge, S. Ramakrishna Rao, placed vehicles in a line and made the sacrificial goat circumambulate the vehicles.
Mr Ramakrishna Rao cracked a coconut in front of the vehicles. Later, the staff took the goat to a nearby mechanical shed and slaughtered it, though a retired employee who works there tried to prevent the slaughter of the animal. There was criticism of the slaughtering.
It is argued that in higher institutions of learning like JNTUK, scientific temper should prevail and superstitions should be discarded. However, some of the teaching and non-teaching staff commented that it was a regular practice during every Dasara to perform puja to vehicles and slaughter goats. They added that goats were not slaughtered in the university premises.
Meanwhile, several commercial organisations like rice mills, machinery shops and those connected with machines slaughtered animals in the name of the deities. Deities that were installed on the roadside were offered sacrificial goats and sheep and the entire area was covered in blood.
For example, on the road between Peddapuram and Kattamuru where a Goddess Durga idol is placed, animals were slaughtered on the road. Locals suggested that devotees should not slaughter animals in public places.
