Tribals go ahead with their ritual despite court embargo

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Orissa Rituals: Tradition over law

Court directions and administrative orders seem to lose relevance when it comes to customs and traditions. The Sulia Yatra of Bolangir is the latest example of this. Every year, the Sulia Yatra festival is observed in Bolangir district of Orissa on the first Tuesday of Pausha month. As part of an ancient practice, tribals sacrifice animals such as goats, buffaloes, hens etc to their deities to appease them. This year it fell on January 12.

The Orissa High Court in its interim directive had asked the district administration of Bolangir to follow the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Despite the court orders, the ritual of the sacrifice of thousands of animals took place before the Sulia shrine. During the festival, the rituals are performed at three places namely Bada Khala, Sana Khala and Nua Khala which come under Khairagura and Kumuria villages.

“Although Section 144 of the CrPC was enforced at Sana Khala, Bada Khala and Nua Khala, the sacrifice of animals took place in the presence of armed police personnel and senior officials,” said Santanu Kumar Nayak, convenor, Sulia Samskar Manch. He informs that the High Court has been issuing orders to the district administration every year for the last four years to prevent animal sacrifice in the name of ritual, but every year the tribals go ahead with their practice.

Earlier, the district administration in association with Sulia Samskar Manch had launched an awareness campaign against the bloody ritual. The district administration had taken up special drive with meetings, rallies and leaflet distribution in the villages of Sualia Jatra in Deogaon and Gudvella blocks of the district. Anganwadi workers, self helf groups (SHG) and school children were also involved in the drive.

However, since the awareness campaign has been yielding no results, the district administration is planning to initiate action against the offenders. “We found carcasses of beheaded animals here. Action would be taken against the lawbreakers,” additional SP (Bolangir) Srikant Mishra said. R K Patnaik, sub-collector, Bolangir too talked of taking action against the tribals. Meanwhile, more than 40 persons including the priest of the tribals have been served notices under Sec 106 of Cr PC under which they have to sign a bond for maintaining peace for a period of three years.

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They must have gone travelling when census was on: Officials

Some 44 elephants have gone missing from Chandaka-Damapada wildlife sanctuary in Orissa. The report has surfaced at a time when recent elephant population in the state has gone up to 1886 from 1862. The 2010 elephant census, made public recently, claimed that in 44 forest divisions the population of elephants has increased. But in 15 divisions, the population of elephants has decreased, while population in 8 divisions remains unchanged. The forest officials are satisfied with the census result. They acknowledge that the trend in elephant population is more or less static. The highest variation in elephant population has been recorded in Similipal Tiger Reserve. The number of big mammals has gone up here from 298 in 2007 to 331 in 2010, registering an increase of 33 elephants.

Likewise, in Satkoshia wildlife division 30 new elephants were enumerated in the census. Similarly, Dhenkanal forest division reports an increase of 25 elephants. But the situation in Chandaka (wildlife) division, which is adjacent to the Capital city Bhubaneswar, is just reverse. In 2007 census, some 67 elephants were found in Chandaka. But now their number stands at 23. The sudden drop in their population has alarmed wildlife activists and animal lovers. They have urged the authorities to take immediate action and save the giant mammals otherwise they would perish.

P. N. Padhi, chief Wildlife Warden, said: 'The variation in population in individual forest divisions does not give the actual picture. As elephant is a roaming animal, it can travel several kilometers in a single day. Elephant of one division could be found in another forest division. This could have happened in the case of Chandaka division.' But some wildlife activists are not convinced with his argument. They want the whole issue to be probed properly so that the real story is known. S.N. Patra, working president of Orissa Environmental Society, said: 'Rapid urbanization, decreasing of forest coverage, shortage of adequate food and water and mostly increasing human activities close to sanctuaries are the reasons that force elephants to move from one sanctuary to other place. They get distracted.'

During the last decade, the capital city has extended in seven different directions by engulfing the fringe villages and protected areas of the sanctuary. The government in an attempt to satisfy the ever growing demand for land has stretched the plot lands to near sanctuary limits. This has led to breaks in the elephant corridor thereby leading to greater elephant human conflicts, especially in the harvesting season. Patra added: 'Is the growth of the city so important that we can afford to sacrifice the forests and wildlife?' Chandaka forest division authority does not agree with the argument forwarded by activists.

DFO of Chandaka wild life division A.K. Pattnayak said: 'Elephants are more interested in travelling from one place to another. When the census was on, they had migrated to another place. Now they are returning and their number may be more than sixty. There is not a single instance of poaching and killing of elephant so far recorded during the last three years. So, why should we panic?'

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