Overview
- Raikal police registered a case citing BNS Section 325, Section 6 of the Telangana Animals and Birds Sacrifices Prohibition Act, and Section 11(1)(a) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
- Videos from the Bheemanna Jatara at Raikal’s Bheemeswara Temple show men killing goats by biting their throats on the festival’s final day.
- Police said they were on bandobast duty for a crowd of roughly 10,000 and did not witness the killings, though officers appear in the footage.
- Temple organisers, including pujari Devuni Lingaiah, defended the practice as a long-standing local tradition.
- Activists alleged at least seven similar incidents across Telangana in recent months, and NDTV reported two organisers were named as accused as the probe advances.