SSB confiscates 1,410 animals in Bihar ahead of Nepal festival

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in Bihar has confiscated 1,410 animals and arrested 70 people along the India-Nepal border ahead of the ritual involving animal sacrifice in Nepal's Gadhimai festival later this week, police Tuesday said.

Additional Director General of Police (SSB) S.K. Singhal of frontier headquarters here told IANS over telephone that so far 1,410 animals have been confiscated and 70 people arrested in this connection.

"We are trying our best to prevent illegal transportation of animals to Nepal from Bihar along the India-Nepal border," Singhal said.

He said all the border outposts' personnel were put on alert, and he had asked to sensitise the troopers on the movement of people and animals.

Additional Director General of Bihar Police (headquarters) Gupteshwar Pandey here said the state police are not only helping the SSB along the India-Nepal border to seize the animals being smuggled out, but also making all efforts to check their transport into Nepal before the festival.

Border checks have been increased in response to the Supreme Court's directive, asking animal protection groups to devise an action plan to ensure its order against animal sacrifice is implemented.

Navamita Mukherjee of animal protection group Human Society International, India, said that security forces, mainly the SSB, have seized 2,422 animals till date in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Uttarakhand so far.

The largest animal slaughter in the world takes place in the Gadhimai festival. It takes place every five years and 70 percent of the animals sacrificed come from India.

The festival starts Sunday, with the sacrifice scheduled for Nov 28-29.