Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Expresses Dismay as Rotten Meat Controversy Returns to Kashmir
Concerns over food safety intensified in the Kashmir Valley this week after authorities intercepted a significant consignment of unfit meat, prompting senior religious leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to voice his dismay at the recurring issue.
On Saturday, a joint operation at Budgam railway station successfully seized approximately 1,600 kilograms of rotten meat, arriving from Delhi via railway cargo.
Chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, speaking on Sunday, expressed profound concern regarding the persistent attempts to introduce such products into the region. He highlighted public shock over the latest seizure, particularly its origin from Delhi, and commended the police for their swift action. However, the Mirwaiz questioned why these practices continue unchecked, despite public outrage and official assurances following last year's incidents. He pressed authorities to expose and strictly punish those responsible, asking why accountability remains elusive. The government, he asserted, must disclose all facts, fix accountability, and take stringent measures against perpetrators to rebuild public trust in the food supply.
The 1,600 kg of meat, packed in 44 boxes, was deemed unfit for human consumption due to a severe foul smell and a clear failure to maintain prescribed cold-chain conditions. Personnel from the Jammu and Kashmir Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Railway Police, railway authorities, and the Budgam district administration collaborated on the operation. Following verification by a veterinary doctor, officials destroyed the entire consignment. An FIR has been formally registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
This incident marks another chapter in a series of food safety crackdowns across the Kashmir Valley, including recent seizures of unpermitted food colours in kebabs and meatballs within Srinagar. A more significant scandal, which gripped the region in July and August of a prior year, saw authorities confiscate and destroy approximately 12,000 kg (12 tonnes) of rotten, unlabelled, and chemically treated meat across Jammu and Kashmir. That previous investigation uncovered an organised supply chain responsible for bringing cheap, rejected meat from outside the Union Territory into local eateries, often without adequate cold-chain storage.
Image: Wikipedia — Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
📰 Source: Mangalorean News
