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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nSRINAGAR: J&K is in the grip of a food safety scare after officials seized more than 11,600kg of \u201cimported rotten meat\u201d from warehouses, eateries and shops across Kashmir valley, triggering a storm of halal concerns and rumours.The seizures, excluding poultry, were made over the past week during surprise inspections that uncovered illegal storage and gross violations of safety rules. Images of decayed meat on social media spurred calls to boycott animal meat in restaurants.Religious leaders joined the outcry, questioning how such supplies had gone unchecked for years and whether they were even permissible under Islamic law.Kashmir\u2019s grand mufti Nasir-ul-Islam urged people to avoid animal meat dishes such as tikka, kebab, biryani and momo in eateries until the matter is resolved. \u201cThe rumour mills have it that the meat could be that of stray dogs,\u201d he said.Kashmir\u2019s chief priest Mirwaiz Umar Farooq condemned the alleged supply of unsafe food as \u201ca betrayal of public trust\u201d, warning it could involve carrion \u2014 strictly forbidden in Islam.CM Omar Abdullah convened a meeting Monday to review the enforcement drive, urging residents to report concerns to authorities and avoid taking the law into their own hands. \u201cThe grave problem appears to have remained unchecked and unnoticed for too long. The unscrupulous elements have played with the health and lives of people. This has to stop,\u201d he said.Food safety commissioner Smita Sethi said the seized meat has been destroyed. In one case, inspectors found an unregistered cold storage unit in Srinagar\u2019s Zukura area allegedly hoarding imported meat without power backup. \u201cWe didn\u2019t find much in other areas because people had already dumped it in rivers,\u201d she said.Sethi said frozen meat imports into J&K are legal, but the seized consignments lacked expiry and packaging dates, import source details and proper labelling. Many storage sites allegedly failed to maintain the mandatory \u201318\u00b0C temperature. Using inspections, smell checks and mobile labs, authorities confirmed much of it was \u201cunfit and rotten\u201d.No FIR has been filed yet, but Sethi said investigations will lead to inquiries against those involved.CM Abdullah ordered \u201cexemplary punitive action\u201d under the Food Safety and Standards Act, including criminal proceedings for serious violators.\u201cNo meat should be sold and used without proper clearance,\u201d he said, while directing that entry-point check posts and testing labs be set up at Lakhanpur and Qazigund, and district-level food testing facilities established beyond Srinagar and Jammu.<\/div>\n