The Kerala government reaffirmed on Saturday that there was no animal sacrifice conducted near a temple in the northern region of the state, contradicting the assertion made by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
Kerala Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan said that Shivakumar had made a huge allegation that animal sacrifice was performed near the Rajarajeshwara temple at Taliparamba in Kannur district of the state against him, CM Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka.
"We investigated the claim and also contacted the Malabar Devaswom Board. The preliminary report we got states that nothing like that has happened in or near the temple. The Devaswom Board also confirmed it," the minister said.
He stated that there is a need to investigate why Shivakumar leveled such accusations. Radhakrishnan further mentioned that the government is probing whether any similar incident, as claimed by the Karnataka Deputy CM, occurred elsewhere in Kerala, despite initial reports indicating no such occurrence in the state.
Additionally, he highlighted that animal sacrifices have been illegal since 1968, making it improbable for such practices to take place in Kerala. The temple's managing committee dismissed Shivakumar's assertions on Friday, labeling them as entirely untrue.
The Special Branch has submitted a report to the State Police Chief, asserting that there is no evidence of any animal sacrifice occurring near a temple in Kerala, as alleged by the Deputy CM of Karnataka.
On Thursday, Shivakumar asserted that a ritual known as "Shatru Bhairavi Yaga," which includes the sacrifice of animals, was conducted at a temple in Kerala, allegedly targeting him, Siddaramaiah, and the Congress government in Karnataka.