ATHANI:Despite the police department’s attempts to prevent animal sacrifice at the Yallama fair at Kokatanur village in the taluk, over 250 animals, mainly goats and sheep, were sacrificed on the first day of the five-day fair on Friday.
The police and activists of the Bengaluru-based Vishwaprani Dayasangh had kept an eye to prevent animal sacrifice. However, their attempts went in vain with the sacrificing of animals which ware found in the nearby forest area. About 50,000 devotees from North Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa attended the fair and the number would cross 2.5 lakh in days to come. Last year about three lakh devotees arrived on the last day of the fair.
Meanwhile, a devotee from Maharashtra was attacked by a gang of about 10 men around 1am on Friday. Praveen Patil (35) from Solapur district sustained a few stab injuries on his body. Patil is being treated at the government hospital at Athani and he is out of danger.