2,000 kg of rotten buffalo meat seized from Delhi parcel trains in Kashmir

Railway Police and district authorities recovered another consignment of rotten buffalo meat from a parcel train at Budgam railway station near Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar on Saturday. Around 400 kg of meat was seized during an operation, and the authorities subsequently destroyed it.The recovery comes a day after officials found 44 boxes containing approximately 1,600 kg of rotten meat inside a parcel train that had arrived in Budgam from Delhi. The meat was being transported to Kashmir for distribution in the Valley. A total of 2000 kgs of rotten buffalo meat has been recovered.The latest recovery was made following specific information received by the Railway Police. A joint operation was carried out by the Railway Police, Budgam district administration, Municipal Committee Budgam and the Animal Husbandry Department.An FIR has been registered in connection with the matter under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and further investigation is underway. MEAT FOUND WITHOUT REFRIGERATIONRailway Police SHO Baynazir Iqbal told PTI that the police had received information from reliable sources about a parcel train arriving from Delhi with rotten meat in its front bogie.During the inspection, officials recovered 44 boxes containing around 1,600 kg of meat. The boxes were reportedly carrying ordinary packets without any refrigeration or freezer system to preserve the consignment. Iqbal said the packets were labelled as buffalo meat, and there were no ice cubes or arrangements to maintain the required temperature during transportation.She also pointed out that the consignment was not accompanied by the mandatory documentation required for transporting meat by train.According to the SHO, the documents should include details of the place of slaughter, a veterinary certificate and certification from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)."There was nothing like that; it wasn't backed by anything," she said.FIR REGISTERED, MEAT DESTROYEDFollowing the recovery, the Railway Police informed the Food Safety and Standards Department, whose officials reached the spot along with the Budgam tehsildar.The seized meat was subsequently confiscated and destroyed by the concerned authorities.Iqbal confirmed that an FIR had been registered under Section 271 of the BNS. Further investigation into the transportation of the consignment and those involved is underway.The police suspect that the meat was being brought from Delhi for distribution in the Kashmir Valley.KASHMIR'S ROTTEN MEAT CONTROVERSYThe latest recovery comes against the backdrop of a major rotten meat controversy that erupted in Kashmir last year.Authorities had then conducted valley-wide raids at several locations, including eateries, following complaints and concerns over the sale of meat unfit for human consumption.The raids by the police and food safety authorities resulted in the recovery of more than 12,000 kg of rotten meat, highlighting concerns over the transportation and sale of unsafe meat in the Valley.- Ends(With PTI inputs)