Cow vigilantes' 'dog meat' claims false; meat indeed mutton: officials

Bengaluru: After cow vigilantes from Bengaluru raising a fake alarm alleging a shipment of mutton from Rajasthan came by train contained dog meat, the Food Safety Department confirmed that the shipment only contained mutton.

Following allegations by the cow vigilantes, led by murder accused Puneeth Kerehalli, hate propaganda had started across social media regarding the claims of dog meat. He also alleged that it was dog meat that had been distributed to eateries in Bengaluru.

Food Safety Officer K Srinivas said that the meat belongs to the Sirohi breed of goat found in Rajasthan. The species is mostly found in Rajasthan and Kutch-Bhuj regions of Gujarat. They have longer tails than normal goats, which could have given the idea that the meat wasn't mutton but dog's, the officer said.

Meanwhile, the meat sample has been sent to the lab for testing. It is learned that it will take at least seven days to get the detailed test results.

The meat shipment came under the name of one Abdul Razzaq, a meat trader. Razzaq stated that he had all the licenses to bring mutton and had followed all the norms, but the police registered an FIR against him. Following this, some extreme Hindutva activists started widespread hate campaigns on social media.

On Friday, after the meat shipment arrived by train, there were allegations that it contained dog meat, and a mob protest followed. Later, food safety officers reached the railway station under the protection of the police team and seized the meat. Initial testing found that the meat was mutton only.

Puneeth Kerehalli and his accomplices were arrested by the police on charges of not allowing officers to perform their duties.