A Buddhist monk today set himself on fire in Sri Lanka’s central city of Kandy demanding an end to cattle slaughter here, police said.
Eye witnesses said the monk poured petrol over his body and then lit himself. He was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries, the police added.
The monk had been calling for a stop to cattle slaughter in Kandy, the city home to one of the holiest shrines for Buddhists, the Temple of Tooth, which contains relic of the tooth of Buddha.
The incident marred the Wesak festival celebrations, an important day among the island nation’s Buddhist majority population.
Wesak is a public holiday throughout the country. Meat stalls and liquor shops remain closed for two days during this time which signifies the birth, enlightenment and the death of Lord Buddha.
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