As public outcry grows over rotten meat supply, CM Omar Abdullah orders screening of check posts at J&K borders 

Facing a crisis of smuggling of substandard mutton and poultry into Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday held a high-level meeting in Srinagar and ordered the establishment of check posts and testing laboratories at Lakhanpur and Qazigund to screen mutton and chicken.

Kashmir is witnessing a growing unease over the seizure and recovery of mounds of unlabelled and decomposed poultry and mutton in several parts of the Valley. Over four tonnes of unsafe and decomposed meat and poultry have been either seized or recovered this month so far. These recoveries have spread panic among locals in Kashmir.  

In the face of seizure of substandard quality of meat, Mr. Abdullah, during a high-level meeting, directed “exemplary punitive action against those found storing or selling unsafe food”.

“Offenders posing risks to public health must be prosecuted under the relevant provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act. Criminal proceedings will be initiated against the most serious violators. The grave problem appears to have remain unchecked and unnoticed for too long,” Mr. Abdullah said.

The Chief Minister appreciated the officials for launching the drive and “exposing the dangerous rot in our food chain”. “There will be an audit of the departments concerned and the mechanism to stop import, sale and use of the unhygienic meat and other food items,” Mr. Abdullah said.

The Chief Minister ordered the establishment of entry-point check posts and testing laboratories at Lakhanpur and Qazigund to screen mutton, chicken, and other perishable items entering Jammu and Kashmir.

He also directed that food testing laboratories be set up at every district headquarters. “No meat should be sold and used without proper clearance,” he added.

Mobile food testing vans would be deployed to help the officials carrying out inspections of eateries in Kashmir. The government had ordered the registration of all food distributors, traders, and vendors under a formal licensing framework.

“An inter-departmental committee will be constituted to ensure coordination, efficiency, and smooth enforcement, particularly for the distribution and sale of safe, hygienic, fresh, and properly labelled perishable items such as meat and chicken,” Mr. Abdullah said.

The Chief Minister also took serious note of the use of harmful chemicals, unauthorised synthetic additives, and colouring agents. The departments have been instructed to verify that meat supplies originate from safe sources and that the cold chain is maintained. 

Meanwhile, the police and the Food Safety Department seized “substantial quantities of rotten meat”.

Officials said the rotten meat was seized from a cold storage unit in Parimpora in Srinagar. “Acting on credible input, the authorities identified Abdul Hameed Kuchay, a resident of Soura, and operator of Sunshine Foods located at SICOP Zakoora, as a key suspect,” officials said.

The police said this deliberate act of distributing rotten meat posed a serious threat to public health. An FIR No. 48/2025 was registered at Zakoora police station under Sections 271, 275, and 61(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).