April 19: A yagna allegedly involving animal sacrifice on Sunday night inside the Salem municipal corporation premises caused a flutter here on Monday.

Corporation employees and the public spotted blood stains on Monday that were apparently sprinkled after a pooja. Turmeric, kumkum powder and other ritualistic signs were also found but no one owned up to the incident.

It later transpired that a yagna was performed on Sunday night because the staff and some councillors were falling sick and the ritual was done to invoke divine help. However, no one was able to pinpoint the person or department which initiated the ritual.

Mayor J. Rekha Priyadharshini said she had not attended office for a week and was not involved in the yagna. She added that acc-ording to her inquiries, the contractor who was undertaking some building work inside the corporation had performed the yagna bec-ause the masons and other workers were frequently meeting with accidents during work. She admitted that the yagna had involved animal sacrifice.

She, however, could not explain why blood and ritual signs were found at the entrance, near the payment counters, at the entrances of all the offices. She said she would inquire into it.