New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party-run municipal corporations in Delhi have decided to direct meat shops and restaurants in their jurisdiction to mention if the meat they sell or serve is halal or jhatka.
While the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Thursday passed a proposal regarding mandatory mention of halal or jhatka meat, the North DMC is all set to carry out a similar exercise, ThePrint has learnt.
The East DMC had passed a similar proposal in August 2018. According to the proposal, notices and challans are issued against violators. This can also include a cash penalty of up to Rs 500, said Additional Municipal Health Officer, EDMC, Dr Swaran Shekar.
The South DMC’s proposal has been cleared by its standing committee and will now be sent to the House for final approval. The resolution, tabled by Chattarpur councillor Anita Tanwar last month, a copy of which is with ThePrint, states that consuming halal meat is “forbidden and against religion in Hinduism and Sikhism”.
“There are 1000s of restaurants in 104 wards of four zones falling under South Delhi Municipal Corporation. Out of these meat is served in about 90 per cent of restaurants but it is not mentioned whether the meat being served by the restaurants is halal or jhatka,” reads the resolution. “Similarly, the meat shops also do not make the distinction… Therefore, this meeting resolves that this direction be given to restaurants and meat shops that writing/mentioning jhatka or halal has been made mandatory.”
South DMC’s standing committee chairperson Rajdutt Gahlot claimed the corporation received multiple complaints about restaurants not specifying the type of meat being served, which prompted the resolution.
“These complaints have been on the rise during the pandemic since people are skeptical,” he said.
Anita Tanwar told ThePrint it was a routine resolution. “Actually, eateries obtain an annual health trade licence from the corporation — be it South, North or East. So this condition is just to help identify the type of meat being served, nothing else,” she said.
On why the resolution stated that “eating halal was against Sikhism and Hinduism”, Tanwar said: “Those were examples that we state in the MCD documents while sending the proposal…I would like to know the specifics before ordering anything. Other Hindus would too. But if someone wants to consume it, we aren’t stopping anyone.”
Halal means ‘permissible’ is Arabic and Halal food is what adheres to Islamic law. The Islamic form of slaughtering animals for consumption of meat involves killing through a cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe.
Islamic law says animals must be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter, and all blood is drained from the carcass.
In contrast, in the jhatka way of slaughter, the animal’s head is severed in one single blow and it dies instantly.
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BJP deflecting from issues: AAP
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), however, said the BJP civic bodies were indulging in such issues to divert attention.
Somnath Bharti, AAP MLA from Malviya Nagar, told ThePrint: “They don’t have time to look at the poor economy, crime against women or the farmers who have been protesting, but they have time to address who can eat halal and who can have jhatka.”
A senior government official who looks into the MCD-related issues for AAP said most shops already follow this norm. “Most meat shops already specify jhatka or halal in Delhi; so it’s nothing new,” the official added. “Anyway what we do want to debate is the fund crisis and how they aren’t being able to pay their staff.”
Shop owners and restaurants ThePrint spoke to had a mixed reaction to the proposal. “Some people would be reluctant to have halal or jhatka, but don’t bother to check if it’s not specified. So displaying it may not go in favour of all meat sellers,” said the owner of a shop in Delhi’s Netaji Nagar.
The owner of Al Quresh Halal Meat & Chicken Shop in Moti Bagh, however, said: “Many shops already display this but it is true that many people don’t mind consuming the meat if they don’t see any such board so it is also a psychological mindset.”
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