Former Union minister Maneka Gandhi and other animal rights activists have urged the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar to issue immediate directions to check the "regressive practice of animal sacrifice" in various parts of the state. They also requested the Bihar government to stop the illegal transportation of cattle from the state to Nepal for sacrifice in the upcoming Gadhimai festival in the neighbouring country. Maneka Gandhi wrote a letter to the Bihar chief minister on Friday seeking his immediate intervention "to stop animal sacrifice in the state and also illegal transportation of cows, buffaloes, goats, pigeons from Bihar to Nepal, primarily intended for sacrifice, especially around the Gadhimai festival". It has been recently reported that around Rs 10 million (1 crore) worth of Indian buffaloes alone are smuggled monthly and sold in Nepal's markets, she wrote in her letter. A delegation of top representatives of other animal protection organisations -- Acharya Prashant