FIR filed over goat sacrifice at Karimnagar temple after PETA India complaint
Hyderabad: A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at Kothapalli Police Station in Karimnagar district following the circulation of video footage showing the public sacrifice of goats at a temple in Rekurthi village, Telangana, on June 29, 2025.
The complaint was filed by Adulapuram Goutham, Cruelty Prevention Manager at the Stray Animal Foundation of India (SAFI), Hyderabad, after which People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India intervened with the support of Maneka Gandhi and SAFI.
The videos show several goats being killed by throat-slitting with knives inside the temple premises. The animals appear visibly distressed before being slaughtered in full public view during the day. The footage prompted animal welfare organisations to demand immediate legal action.
Based on the complaint and video evidence, the police registered an FIR against the individual seen in the video. The case has been filed under Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which treats the maiming or killing of animals as a cognisable offence punishable with up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. Charges also include violations of Section 6 of the Telangana Animals and Birds Sacrifices Prohibition Act, 1950, which prohibits animal sacrifice at places of public religious worship or during public congregations, and Sections 11(1)(a) and 11(1)(i) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which deal with the infliction of unnecessary pain and suffering on animals.
PETA India’s Cruelty Response Coordinator, Virendra Singh, welcomed the swift action by the Karimnagar police and acknowledged Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Venkataraman, for directing the registration of the FIR. Virendra Singh said that animal sacrifice promotes cruelty and outdated beliefs, and that such practices must end. He added that in modern India, where human sacrifice is seen as a crime, animal sacrifice should be treated with equal seriousness.
The Supreme Court of India has ruled that animals may only be slaughtered in licensed slaughterhouses, and municipal authorities are responsible for enforcing this regulation. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, require that slaughter be carried out only in licensed facilities equipped with species-specific stunning equipment.
Several states, including Gujarat, Kerala, Puducherry, and Rajasthan, have already banned religious animal sacrifice within temple premises. In Telangana, as well as in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the law prohibits animal sacrifice in any public place of religious worship or during religious processions or gatherings on public streets.