Grand Mufti, Mirwaiz demand action over ‘haram’ meat sales in Kashmir

The Jammu and Kashmir Government has ordered an intensified drive against adulterated meat across the Union Territory following reports of substandard products being sold in markets.

Officials said rotten mutton, chicken and other meat products have been seized in several parts of Kashmir in recent days.

In a public advisory, Kashmir’s Grand Mufti expressed concern that “many dressed or packaged products arrive from outside Kashmir, sometimes without confirmation that Islamic slaughter requirements were fulfilled.” The advisory added: “With the growth of quick snacks and roadside eateries, ingredients often remain undisclosed and frying oils are frequently reused in ways harmful to health and faith.”

Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday voiced “deep shock and anguish” over recent seizures by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), which confiscated over 3,500 kilograms of “rotten, unlabelled, and possibly unlawful” mutton from various locations in Kashmir.

“Feeding people haram or harmful food is a grave injustice,” he said during his Friday sermon. “Such actions are a betrayal of public trust and a violation of both divine commandments, societal contract and law. Those involved must be held fully accountable and strictly penalised and punished as per law without delay.”

Stating that the incident had “deeply shaken the trust of people”, Mirwaiz urged the government to act with “urgency and firmness” and said that “no packed meat should be allowed in the markets without clear and mandatory labelling, verified cold storage details and halal certification.”

J&K’s Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Satish Sharma, has instructed the enforcement wing of his department to intensify and sustain the crackdown. “Enforcement teams must conduct regular inspections, carry out surprise raids and take strict action against those found guilty of selling adulterated or substandard meat,” he said, urging the public to “remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity related to food adulteration.”

According to officials, the Department of Food Safety has, over the past two days, conducted multiple surprise inspections and raids. In the Safakadal and Parimpora areas of Srinagar district, enforcement teams seized 2,500 kebabs “found to be processed using frozen meat containing unpermitted food colour.” In Nagbal, Ganderbal district, around 250 kgs of locally procured meat were “destroyed due to visible signs of deterioration caused by improper handling and storage conditions.”