Bengaluru: Hindu Outfit Demands Ban On Halal Meat During Ugadi Festival

Members of the Hindu Janajagruti Vedike demanded Bengaluru District Magistrate to ban Halal meat and provide Jhatka meat to Hindus during the Ugadi festival

A pro-Hindu outfit on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to Bengaluru District Magistrate demanding a ban on halal meat during Ugadi, which people in Karnataka will be celebrating on March 22.

Members of the Hindu Janajagruti Vedike demanded Bengaluru District Magistrate to ban Halal meat and provide Jhatka meat to Hindus during the Ugadi festival.

In the memorandum, the Hindu group reportedly urged the authorities to promote jhatka meat shops across the state. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has earlier issued orders to ban meat sales on the occasion of Janmashtami and Ram Navami in 2022. Even slaughterhouses and butcher shops remained shut on these days.

The state in 2022 witnessed a row over halal versus jhatka meat. There is a blanket ban on these practices at least eight days a year on various occasions.

In the row over the halal meat ban in Karnataka, the government has been mulling over introducing guidelines for the slaughterhouses to adopt the ‘stunning’ method to kill animals.

According to a report by news agency IANS, minister for Animal Husbandry Prabhu Chauhan had earlier said that he would look into the demand by animal lovers who have written to the department seeking the ‘stunning’ method of slaughtering animals be made mandatory.

For the unversed, 'stunning' is a process that ensures that the animal is made unconscious to pain before being killed in the slaughterhouse. It is to be noted that under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, the central government has recommended a 'stunning' method for slaughter houses to follow.