‘Imported rotten meat’ sparks outrage in Kashmir

SRINAGAR: J&K is in the grip of a food safety scare after officials seized more than 11,600kg of “imported rotten meat” from warehouses, eateries and shops across Kashmir valley, triggering a storm of halal concerns and rumours.

The seizures, excluding poultry, were made over the past week during surprise inspections that uncovered illegal storage and gross violations of safety rules. Images of decayed meat on social media spurred calls to boycott animal meat in restaurants.

Religious leaders joined the outcry, questioning how such supplies had gone unchecked for years and whether they were even permissible under Islamic law.

Kashmir’s grand mufti Nasir-ul-Islam urged people to avoid animal meat dishes such as tikka, kebab, biryani and momo in eateries until the matter is resolved. “The rumour mills have it that the meat could be that of stray dogs,” he said.

Kashmir’s chief priest Mirwaiz Umar Farooq condemned the alleged supply of unsafe food as “a betrayal of public trust”, warning it could involve carrion — strictly forbidden in Islam.

CM Omar Abdullah convened a meeting Monday to review the enforcement drive, urging residents to report concerns to authorities and avoid taking the law into their own hands. “The grave problem appears to have remained unchecked and unnoticed for too long. The unscrupulous elements have played with the health and lives of people. This has to stop,” he said.

Food safety commissioner Smita Sethi said the seized meat has been destroyed. In one case, inspectors found an unregistered cold storage unit in Srinagar’s Zukura area allegedly hoarding imported meat without power backup. “We didn’t find much in other areas because people had already dumped it in rivers,” she said.

Sethi said frozen meat imports into J&K are legal, but the seized consignments lacked expiry and packaging dates, import source details and proper labelling. Many storage sites allegedly failed to maintain the mandatory –18°C temperature. Using inspections, smell checks and mobile labs, authorities confirmed much of it was “unfit and rotten”.

No FIR has been filed yet, but Sethi said investigations will lead to inquiries against those involved.

CM Abdullah ordered “exemplary punitive action” under the Food Safety and Standards Act, including criminal proceedings for serious violators.

“No meat should be sold and used without proper clearance,” he said, while directing that entry-point check posts and testing labs be set up at Lakhanpur and Qazigund, and district-level food testing facilities established beyond Srinagar and Jammu.
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Independence Day wishes, messages, and quotes !