Brahmins accused of sacrificing sheep at yajna

SHIMOGA (Karnataka): Brahmin priests sacrificing eight sheep in a puja has become one of the biggest controversies in Karnataka. A group of Sankethi Brahmins performed an ancient ritual called the Soma Yajna, where they sacrificed eight sheep at Srikantapura in Mattur. Eyewitnesses said they strangulated the sheep to death, cut them into pieces and offered them to fire. Later, after the affair was over, the priests ate the meat and drank country liquor. A regional newspaper with access to the video and pictures of the ritual, published a report calling for a debate among the Brahmin community. The act has been condemned by several community leaders who called it a cruel ritual.