Children's band who are playing at the Royal Albert Hall tonight are investigated by the RSPCA for 'decapitating a GOAT in India' 

• The Blue Lions Indian classical music troupe have worked with Basement Jaxx
• Furious campaigners have criticised online footage showing goat slaughter 
• In the video footage the blindfolded animal is beheaded as a group of men chant

Members of a band playing a sold-out concert for children at the Royal Albert Hall are being investigated for their involvement in the decapitation of a goat.

Indian classical music troupe The Blue Lions have opened for Bob Dylan, Anna Phoebe and Basement Jaxx, and have played at festivals across the world.  

However footage on the internet showing members associated with the band slaughtering a goat has outraged animal cruelty campaigners.

In the clips the blindfolded animal is held by one man as another pulls the goat's head with a cloth before it is beheaded as a group of men chant during the slaughter.

The RSPCA confirmed the footage posted on the internet is now being investigated as a case of animal cruelty and the Metropolitan Police have also been informed of the contents of the video. 

London-based animal cruelty campaigner Jagdeesh Singh said: 'There is no place for animal sacrifice in Sikh society. It is a replication of Hindu animal sacrifice. 

'There is blood worship in the video. 

'The Blue Lions group in the UK are involved in this killing and are deriving their justification from this Hinduisation animal sacrifice, which is totally abhorrent to Sikh ideals and culture.'  

The community worker added: 'They have not denied that it is them. They actually brashly say it was them.

'They are a cult-like group that act in an aggressive manner and there is outrage in our community about this action. It totally goes against every principle that the Sikh faith system stands for. 

'An active investigation is now underway and the persons present will be investigated. 

'Most global religious and political systems consider animal sacrifice wholly abhorrent.

'The gathering of the blood in a bowl and the anointing of their weapons with it is pretty disgusting.' 

Bhupinder Singh, a bhangra dancer according to The Blue Lions website, said: 'This is a load of hard core vegan Sikhs hyping this up.

'This ceremony wasn't done by one of the elders and these guys are a bit young and only some of The Blue Lions were there.'

He added: 'The animal has to be killed with one blow, so it is instant. All they did was hold the goat in case it decided to bolt, they do not kill goats who do not want to take part. 

'The goat was nice and calm. There is a whole detail in the ceremony if the goat is jumping around you are not supposed to do it.'

Mr Singh said the incident took place in a farm outhouse in India. 

He added: 'The goat did not suffer and was slaughtered cleanly and compassionately. Jhatka is a very humane method of slaughter practiced by Sikhs in India.' 

A spokesman for the RSPCA said: 'We are aware of this video and are investigating.'  

A spokesman for the Royal Albert Hall said: 'We have spoken to the RSPCA and the police before making an informed decision to go ahead with the event. 

'We are completely opposed to animal cruelty, but we do not at present have any grounds to cancel the show.'