In response to allegations that dog meat was being supplied to restaurants in Bengaluru, Karnataka government announced on Saturday that meat samples seized from a railway station were sent to a food laboratory for analysis.
The Karnataka Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSA) Commissionerate will take action based on the laboratory results, according to an official release from the Karnataka Health Department.
The controversy began on Friday evening when some groups claimed that dog meat was being brought into Bengaluru from Rajasthan and supplied to local hotels.
Following these allegations, a team from the Karnataka FSSA, along with police, inspected the railway station. They discovered 90 parcels containing animal meat being transferred from a train arriving from Rajasthan to a vehicle. Samples of the meat were collected for testing.
The FSSA is also gathering detailed information on the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licenses of both the senders and recipients of the parcels. Any discrepancies will lead to further legal action as per regulations.
Hindutva activist Puneet Kerehalli and others staged a protest near Majestic Railway Station, alleging that dog meat was being brought into Bengaluru along with mutton. A case was filed against Kerehalli and others for obstructing police officers in their duties, leading to their arrest by the jurisdictional Cottonpet Police. The charges include violating Section 132 of the BNS Act (obstruction of government officials' duties) and Section 351 (2) for disturbing the peace.
Sources indicate that the meat was intended for fine-dining restaurants in Bengaluru, further heightening the seriousness of the allegations.