The rotten meat being uncovered is also exposing our rotten morals. For profit, our own have poisoned our plates. And with that, trust has died a sad but expected death.
The truth, when it finally comes out, often hurts more than the lie that came before it, especially when it makes us face the fact that we killed our conscience along the way.
For a long time, Kashmir has been proud of how welcoming it is. We serve guests food and trust in our homes, at weddings, in hotels, and in restaurants.
We never questioned this deep trust.
Recently, the situation has undergone a change. That trust has been broken over the past few weeks.
The Food Safety Department has discovered the sale of tons of rotten mutton to unaware consumers. What is being seized makes one shudder to think about the scale of that, which has already passed off, sold, and eaten by us.
What appeared to be food turned out to be slowly poisoning consumers.
And the big question in the Valley right now is: Have we reached a point where making money is more important than doing the right thing?
Bad Meat, Bad Morals
Nobody sits down to eat expecting to be betrayed. But taking rotten stock from storerooms all over Kashmir is not only unhygienic, it’s also against faith, dignity, and the idea of community.
The Quran says, “Eat the good things We have given you.” (2:172)
The Bhagavad Gita says, “Virtuous people love food that is clean, healthy, and good for them.” (17:8)
But here we are, with our plates dirty and our religious and moral duties trampled on for a few extra rupees.
What should happen to people who sell poison deliberately?
The More Serious Betrayal
The pain is worse because many of the people involved are Muslims themselves, people who know what halal means and whose faith should have stopped them from being greedy.
But they kept going.
They put money ahead of God and greed ahead of God.
Not only was the meat they sold haram, but it was also a betrayal wrapped in plastic, sold by the kilo, and eaten by families who trusted them.
Justice Can’t End with Raids
Yes, the Department of Food Safety has done something. There have been raids. The undesirable stock has been thrown away.
However, merely relying on paperwork is insufficient to ensure justice: it is crucial to publicly identify and openly shame those who violate the law.
Don’t give them another chance—revoke their licenses permanently.
Take away the money that was made in this trade. Lock up criminals for long enough to stop others from doing it.
Anything less makes it seem like the deal is just a game of chance, and they might win next time.
We’re also being judged by our conscience. Let’s not act like the issue is just about them. Every time we ignore unacceptable behaviour because “it doesn’t concern us,” we make our society’s moral base weaker.
Our plates should be clean. Honesty is what our faith asks of us.
Our kids deserve a future where a simple meal isn’t a game of life and death.
A society that allows poison at the table is a society that is already eating away at its soul.
This scandal shouldn’t just be a headline; it should be the time when we say, “Never again”.
Once trust is gone, there’s nothing you can do to make it better again.
The rotten meat being uncovered is also exposing our rotten morals. For profit, our own have poisoned our plates. And with that, trust has died a sad but expected death.
The truth, when it finally comes out, often hurts more than the lie that came before it, especially when it makes us face the fact that we killed our conscience along the way.
For a long time, Kashmir has been proud of how welcoming it is. We serve guests food and trust in our homes, at weddings, in hotels, and in restaurants.
We never questioned this deep trust.
Recently, the situation has undergone a change. That trust has been broken over the past few weeks.
The Food Safety Department has discovered the sale of tons of rotten mutton to unaware consumers. What is being seized makes one shudder to think about the scale of that, which has already passed off, sold, and eaten by us.
What appeared to be food turned out to be slowly poisoning consumers.
And the big question in the Valley right now is: Have we reached a point where making money is more important than doing the right thing?
Bad Meat, Bad Morals
Nobody sits down to eat expecting to be betrayed. But taking rotten stock from storerooms all over Kashmir is not only unhygienic, it’s also against faith, dignity, and the idea of community.
The Quran says, “Eat the good things We have given you.” (2:172)
The Bhagavad Gita says, “Virtuous people love food that is clean, healthy, and good for them.” (17:8)
But here we are, with our plates dirty and our religious and moral duties trampled on for a few extra rupees.
What should happen to people who sell poison deliberately?
The More Serious Betrayal
The pain is worse because many of the people involved are Muslims themselves, people who know what halal means and whose faith should have stopped them from being greedy.
But they kept going.
They put money ahead of God and greed ahead of God.
Not only was the meat they sold haram, but it was also a betrayal wrapped in plastic, sold by the kilo, and eaten by families who trusted them.
Justice Can’t End with Raids
Yes, the Department of Food Safety has done something. There have been raids. The undesirable stock has been thrown away.
However, merely relying on paperwork is insufficient to ensure justice: it is crucial to publicly identify and openly shame those who violate the law.
Don’t give them another chance—revoke their licenses permanently.
Take away the money that was made in this trade. Lock up criminals for long enough to stop others from doing it.
Anything less makes it seem like the deal is just a game of chance, and they might win next time.
We’re also being judged by our conscience. Let’s not act like the issue is just about them. Every time we ignore unacceptable behaviour because “it doesn’t concern us,” we make our society’s moral base weaker.
Our plates should be clean. Honesty is what our faith asks of us.
Our kids deserve a future where a simple meal isn’t a game of life and death.
A society that allows poison at the table is a society that is already eating away at its soul.
This scandal shouldn’t just be a headline; it should be the time when we say, “Never again”.
Once trust is gone, there’s nothing you can do to make it better again.
Recommended for you