From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Apr 2: Even as the people across Karnataka are busy in Ugadi celebrations, the State’s Animal Husbandry Department has come out with an official circular mandating Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials that the animals have to be ‘stunned’ before they can be slaughtered for meat.

The order on stunning of animals before slaughter comes in the wake of the Halal versus Jatka meat controversy currently raging in the State with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and other organisations urging people to not to buy Halal meat prepared as per Islamic traditions.

The stunning process ensures that the animals become unconscious and insensitive to pain before they are slaughtered and the meat sellers who do not follow the order will not get permission.

The Animal Husbandry Department’s order dated April 1 claims that the order is on the basis of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Rules, which were drafted in 2001 by the Centre, but not enforced. 

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Chief DK Shivakumar, addressing a news conference at his residence on the Ugadi day, extended his greetings to the people on the occasion of Ugadi or New Year as per Hindu traditions and prayed that the year would bring peace, prosperity and happiness to all sections of people.

Shivakumar said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai government’s latest decision on the stunning of animals before slaughter for meat rather than allow Halal cuts or slaughtering the animals to drain out the blood before preparing the meat was part of the larger game plan of targeting the Muslim community and its traders besides affecting the livelihood of farmers.

He wondered how the Bommai government expects chicken and fowl to be stunned before slaughtering and accused the government of misusing its powers and employing the police to harass Muslim meat sellers.

The KPCC Chief pointed out that even Hindus slaughter the birds or sheep as part of the offering to gods during festivals and wanted to know if the government expect all devotees to follow the stunning process before the religious offering.

All this is part of ruling BJP’s polarisation politics ahead of elections, Shivakumar said and wanted to know how the government wants to dictate eating habits or wearing of clothes instead of leaving the choice to the people.

The State Congress president said the party would support the traders of Halal cut meat and urged them not to be afraid of BJP or RSS. The Chief Minister must follow the Constitution and safeguard all sections of people and not just one community. The narrow politics of dividing the people on the basis of religion for the sake of votes will not work and harm the State, he warned.