KATHMANDU, Nov 8: The Development Committee of parliament has drawn the attention of Home Minister Bhim Rawal toward the possibility of violence during the Gadhimai Mela (festival). The festival, which occurs every five years in Bara, will begin from the third week of the current month. [break]
The committee members headed by Chairman Jitendra Sonar after returning from a field visit to Gadhimai urged the home minister to make security arrangements from the central level during the festival in the district. As many as 500,000 animals -- buffaloes, chicken, goats, sheep, pigs, rats, rabbits - are sacrificed to the deity Gadhimai during the festival.
“Over five million devotees are expected to visit the temple and tens of thousands of animals will be sacrificed. Hence, the local security arrangement may not be enough,” said Sonar, adding that thousands of Indians -- especially from West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh -- also throng the Gadhimai temple during the festival.
“We urged the home minister to make special security arrangement to ward off untoward incidents during the festival,” Sonar said.
Rawal assured the committee that his ministry was aware of the situation and that it is planning to deploy 1,150 additional security personnel in Gadhimai during the festival.
Home Minister Rawal, State Minister for Home Affairs Mohammad Rizwan Ansari, secretary of the ministry, Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Nepal Police and IGP of Armed Police Force attended the meeting of the parliamentary committee.
The festival has turned more barbaric following a ban on animal sacrifice in most Indian states. The festival organizing committee is making all preparations for the festival despite protests from animal rights activists, including Ram Bahadur Bomzon, the “Buddha Boy” from Bara to stop sacrificing animals.
Questions have also been raised against the practice of animal sacrifice in terms of its adverse effects on public health as there is a lack of proper quarantine systems along the Nepal-India border. In 1995, goats were detected with PPR (commonly known as goat flu) disease during the festival.
The committee is also planning to meet minister for information and communication, health minister and minister for local development to press the ministries to make proper arrangements for communication, health, drinking water and other facilities during the festival.
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