GREATER NOIDA: Camels decked up with accessories being used for rituals at marriages in Greater Noida, have become the latest talk of the town with animal activists calling for a ban on the practice.
Days after two camels were caught while being transported to a wedding function in Dankaur area, a video of camels allegedly being used at another wedding function in Dadri area on Thursday has gone viral resulting in the activists calling for an action against those hiring the animals.
In the video, the camels -all decked up with accessories- can be seen seated outside the wedding venue in Dadri.
The incident pertains to Thursday night when the camels were brought to the wedding being organised at a marriage home in Dadri.
Some onlookers who saw the camels seated outside the venue captured the incident on tape after the groom’s side completed the “chadhat ritual.”
Activists of the local unit of the People for Animals (PFA) have complained against the organisers stating that it was the second such case where camels were used for entertainment at weddings in less than one week.
PFA activist Pragati Khanna told TOI that they saw the tweet and flagged it to the police on twitter.
"We got to know about the video and asked the police to take action in the case. They have promised action but there is no headway so far," she said.
Dadri SHO Rajvir Singh Chauhan told TOI that they are aware of the incident and it was found that the camels were used for the chadat ritual (when the groom sits on a horse traditionally but the locals were using camels instead) at the groom’s side.
"Information was received and it was not that the camels were being used for entertainment. Some nomadic tribes tend to bring the camels from Rajasthan to UP and the locals hire them for some money. We are looking into the incident," he said.
This is the second incident in a week where camels were spotted being used at a wedding.
Seven days back, a similar incident took place when three persons were arrested for allegedly transporting two camels to a wedding being held at a marriage home in Dankaur. The pickup used to transport the camels had the word "Press" written on them.
Khanna had spotted the pickup near the Galgotias University around 9 pm and tried to stop them. However, when the vehicle did not stop, she informed the 112 emergency number after which a police team arrived at the spot.
The camels were subsequently brought to the Dankaur police station. An FIR was lodged in the case after which the trio were arrested.
Khanna said that camels have been protected under law as the property of Rajasthan government and cannot be tattoed or used for entertainment purposes and cannot be taken out of Rajasthan.
“Should they be taken out of Rajasthan, there should be a permission for taking them out and a medical certificate has to be there and if not, it is a sheer violation of PCA Act and camel act, 2013 and slaughter act,” she said.