Advise eateries to mandatorily disclose whether meat served is ‘halal’ or ‘jhatka’: NCM to Punjab govt

New Delhi, December 16

The National Commission for Minorities on Thursday directed the Punjab government to advise hotels, restaurants and other eateries in the state to mandatorily disclose whether the meat they are serving is ‘halal’ or ‘jhatka’ so that people can make an informed choice.

In a letter to Punjab Chief Secretary Anirudh Tewari, NCM Chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura said it has come to the notice of the commission that hotels/restaurants in Punjab are serving halal meat only which is prohibited in Sikh religion.

 “Accordingly, all hotels/restaurants may be advised to mandatorily disclose the category of the meat whether it is ‘jhatka’ butchering meat or ‘halal’ butchering meat at all eating joints to allow the public to make an informed choice before consumption,” Lalpura said in his letter to the chief secretary.

In the Halal form of slaughter, animals are killed with a cut to the jugular vein and are left till the blood drains out completely. In the jhatka method, the animal is killed instantaneously.

An early action in the matter shall be highly appreciated, the NCM chief added. —PTI