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Amid halal row, meat sales continue to soar in Karnataka
A demand to ban halal meat in Karnataka and calls for its boycott on Varshadodaku, the day after Ugadi festival, on Sunday, seemed to have had no major impact on meat sales as people continued with big purchases of mutton and chicken
A demand to ban halal meat in Karnataka and calls for its boycott on Varshadodaku, the day after Ugadi festival, on Sunday, seemed to have had no major impact on meat sales as people continued with big purchases of mutton and chicken.
People were seen queuing up at regular meat stalls across Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka. At Bengaluru’s Srirampura, customers were seen waiting patiently to buy meat from the Evergreen Mutton Stall, an establishment owned and operated by Muslims for the past 45 years.
“We don’t know which is halal or jhatka (culled using electric shock). He gives it fresh. All we want is fresh and pure meat. We need such people who give it fresh and pure whether it is halal or jhatka. If someone offers a lower price, people may go to other shops,” said one customer, speaking to a Kannada TV channel.
Arif, the owner of the stall, said that the shop is expected to sell around 1,000 kgs of mutton throughout the day as the campaign demanding halal meat by right-wing groups has had no impact on his business.
“We are a small shop. Business is better this year than last year. Business is good. We have been running this shop since the time of my father... about 45 years. I have been doing this for 22 years, and business has not come down even by a little. Our customers have told us that they have no problem with halal cuts. We have no problem with anyone wanting any other kind of meat, and we are not against it. It’s their choice,” he said.
Another halal meat trader said he has sold more than usual during Ugadi every year. “People look for quality, not halal or jhatka meat.”
While another seller said the door-to-door campaign by some right-wing groups against halal meat during the festival has affected his business.
Meat seller of a Hindavi meat mart claimed that by 12 pm, jhatka cut meat had run out of stock, such was the demand.
The Hindu Janajagruthi Samithi, a right-wing group in the state, on Sunday thanked the people for remaining away from buying halal meat, even though they presented no evidence to support the claim.
“Killing the animal through the process of halal involves torturing it and is banned according to Hindu religion, and it is a punishable offence through animal cruelty act and is illegal. The animal husbandry department has issued an order that slaughterhouses should use the only method of stunning, but this is limited to Bengaluru, and the Hindu Janajagruthi Samithi demands that this be applied across the state,” Mohan Gowda, the spokesperson for the outfit, said on Sunday.
He also said that the ban on halal should not be limited to the Ugadi festival alone and should be carried on through the year and be applied to other products as well.
“This ban on halal should not be limited only to Ugadi, and we should do this throughout the year. It also should not be limited to meat alone and be used against other Halal products by banning them,” Gowda said.
With PTI inputs
