Making the cut: New Delhi orders restaurants to display slaughter style or lose license
NEW DELHI: South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) officials said on Saturday that district restaurants are at risk of losing their licenses if they do not display the slaughter method used for animal meat served in their restaurants, even when commentators said the measure it was similar to “communal food”.
“According to the new rule, when restaurants acquire a license, they will have to write the meat they are going to sell – halal or jhatka. We will cancel the license for restaurants that do not display the label, ”Rajdutt Gahlot, president of SDMC, told Arab News on Saturday.
This follows an order issued by the ruling Bharatiya Janata (BJP) party – controlled by the SDMC in the third week of January this year, asking restaurants to label how the meat was slaughtered.
In halal or Islamic slaughter, animals are killed by cutting the jugular vein, carotid artery and trachea, to ensure that all blood is drained from the carcass.
In contrast, in the slaughtering jhatka style, the animal dies instantly after its head is cut off with a single blow.
Gahlot said that clear labeling of the slaughter technique is necessary for non-halal meat consumers “who will not visit restaurants that sell such meat”.
“(Likewise), people looking for halal meat are not going to visit jhatka meat outlets and thus avoid crowds in restaurants,” he said.
The draft resolution approved on December 24 by the SDMC said: “According to Hinduism and sikhism, eating halal meat is prohibited and against religion … Therefore, the committee decides that restaurants and butchers should be instructed to write about the meat sold and served by them … whether halal or jhatka meat is available there. “
Gahlot confirmed to Arab News that the resolution “was passed”, but declined to comment.
In August last year, the BJP-controlled East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) also approved a similar order, with media reports suggesting that North Delhi could follow suit soon. New Delhi is divided into four zones.
There are more than 2,000 restaurants in the sophisticated SDMC area that cater to around 3 million people. More than 80% of restaurants sell halal meat, as the majority of those involved in the meat trade are from the Muslim community.
The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) initially resisted the move to impose order.
However, he said he does not “foresee any significant changes in the consumption pattern of customers”.
“Today, consumers have the right to ask what kind of meat a restaurant serves, and every restaurant owner is obliged to answer that question. The consumer decides accordingly, ”said Neha Grover, marketing and communications manager at NRAI.
“However, if there are significant changes in consumer demand, restaurants will adapt to it in the same way that they adapt to any other consumer preference, depending on the availability of what consumers are looking for,” he added.
Restaurant owners in New Delhi, however, said they were “intrigued” by the change in the SDMC, especially since “people don’t care if they are eating halal meat or jhatka”.
“My customers hardly ask me if the meat I sell is halal or jhatka,” said Rajeev Kapoor, from the popular Rajendra Da Dhaba restaurant in southern Delhi, adding that “you won’t mind displaying the label if it helps the customer.”
“The main concern of most customers is the hygiene and freshness of the meat. Even if not, we sell halal meat in our store, as most suppliers are Muslim, ”he said.
Alam Mahe, who runs an outlet in southern Delhi, agrees and said that while “he had no problems with the order”, his main concern was “recovering from the losses suffered during the pandemic-induced blockade”.
On the other hand, Muslim meat traders said they were “apprehensive” about the change.
“What is the need for such an order? Customers hardly ask about the meat label. I hope that this issue will no longer become a cause for division in society, ”said Fahim Ansari, a meat trader in the Jamia Nagar area of Delhi.
Since the BJP came to power in Delhi in 2014, it has imposed a ban on beef. Slaughtering cows, a sacred animal for most Hindus, is prohibited and beef consumption is restricted in most Indian states.
There have been cases of lynching and dozens of people, mostly Muslims, have been killed after being accused of eating meat or slaughtering cows. Some state governments controlled by the BJP have also restricted the meat trade.
Commenting on the SDMC’s latest guideline, Indian Express, one of the country’s leading English newspapers, questioned the BJP’s motive for approving such a “divisive order”.
“The reason seems to be to put people involved in the animal trade against each other. By marking food served according to the religion of those who supply it, the SDMC, controlled by the BJP, is trying to communalize the food, ”he said.
The former head of the Delhi Minority Commission, Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan, agreed and classified the measure as a “war against Muslims” and an attempt to “marginalize” Muslims economically.
“The decision by the Delhi Municipal Corporation, controlled by the BJP, is part of an economic war against Muslims,” he told Arab News. “The BJP started with severe restrictions on the meat business shortly after it came to power in 2014. The fur business, also controlled by Muslims, is almost ruined.”
Khan added that “writing halal on the plates of meat shops and restaurants means that many Hindus and Sikhs will not negotiate with these stores. It may soon be replicated in other states controlled by the BJP ”.
The idea, he said, is to “marginalize and impoverish Muslims” who traditionally control most of the country’s meat trade.