In Mewat, Haryana’s only Muslim-dominated district, the cops are suppose to go around and collect biryani samples from street vendors to check for beef.
Advertisement
Narender Kumar, director of Mewat animal husbandry said, “We collected the samples and handed them over to the police”.
Bharti Arora held a meeting with Mewat superintendent of police Kuldeep Singh and chairperson of Haryana Gau Seva Aayog Bhani Ram Mangla at Nuh on Tuesday and directed officials to be on their toes in the wake of complaints about the usage of beef in biryani.
The police’s Cow Protection Task Force (CPTF) has spruced up its network of informers in areas where beef consumption is suspected to be high.
The samples, collected from Mundaka village, were sent for testing to a laboratory in Hisar’s Haryana Agricultural University in keeping with the directions given by the state government. She added that more samples would be collected as and when there is any such complaint.
“So far, we were selectively collecting samples, but now the sampling will be random, targeting all vendors selling biryani”, Times of India quoted Arora as saying. He also said that the search could be extended to other districts.
When asked why only biryani would be tested and not kebabs or mutton curry, Mangla told TOI, “Selling beef openly is hard”.
Reports suggest that this move comes after complaints emerged that vendors are apparently mixing beef with rice to hide the presence of the former.
Haryana has the most stringent laws against cow slaughter, and could result in 10 years in prison and Rs 1 lakh fine. The police have been told to immediately book vendors if they find beef.
The police has been asked to take immediate action against the vendors selling beef and the food and drug administration have been asked to ensure early reports of tests.
Advertisement
Haryana Congress vice-president Aftab Ahmed said the practice is a humiliation to the minority community and the particular area. “This violates constitutional provisions of people’s right to work”, he said.
