In the picturesque valleys of Kashmir, where the aroma of wazwan and kebabs has long been synonymous with cultural pride and hospitality, a sinister scandal has unfolded that strikes at the heart of public health and ethical integrity. Over the past few weeks, authorities have unearthed a shocking operation involving the distribution of rotten, decomposed, and unlabelled meat across the valley, leaving residents reeling from a profound sense of betrayal. This “rotten meat scam,” as it has come to be known, is not merely a lapse in food safety but a glaring indictment of systemic loopholes that have allowed greed to endanger lives.
The revelations began on July 31, when officials raided a storage unit operated by Sunshine Foods on the outskirts of Srinagar, seizing 1,200 kilograms of spoiled meat. Since then, the crackdown has escalated, with the Jammu and Kashmir Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Food Safety Department, and Srinagar Police conducting joint operations across multiple locations. To date, more than 12,000 kilograms of rotten chicken and mutton—much of it imported, unlabelled, and stored in unregistered facilities without essential power backups—have been confiscated and destroyed. Key suspects, (without naming them) face allegations of conspiring to supply this unfit meat to hotels and restaurants, posing a severe threat to public health. FIRs have been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, but as of now, no arrests have been made, and lab reports on the seized samples are still pending.
The scale of this operation is staggering, but its implications are even more alarming. Health experts have linked the consumption of such substandard meat and chicken to a rise in lifestyle diseases, including cancer, which has seen an uptick in Kashmir in recent years. Residents, once avid consumers of mutton and chicken, are now turning to vegetarian options en masse, with restaurant sales plummeting across the valley. High-profile eateries and hotels, which have long prided themselves on “premium” offerings, now struggle to regain customer trust, as whispers of complicity swirl.
How did this rot infiltrate Kashmir’s food chain? The answer lies in a toxic mix of lax enforcement, inadequate surveillance, and unchecked profiteering. For years, cold storage units and suppliers operated in the shadows, evading routine inspections by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The government’s recent directive for strict compliance with FSSAI rules is a step in the right direction, but it comes too late for those who may have unknowingly consumed tainted products. Critics rightly question why such raids were not conducted earlier—were officials asleep at the wheel, or worse, complicit? Public outrage on social platforms echoes this sentiment, with demands for seizing the properties of culprits and extending scrutiny to big-name establishments in the business.
This scandal is a wake-up call, not just for regulators but for society at large. It exposes vulnerabilities in Kashmir’s food ecosystem, from startups peddling “premium” frozen meat under dubious labels to broader issues like adulterated spices, milk, and mineral water. To prevent future betrayals, the government must implement rigorous, ongoing measures: mandatory weekly market surveillance, state-of-the-art testing labs in every district, and hefty penalties—including asset seizures—for violators. Religious scholars and community leaders should continue issuing guidance to reinforce ethical standards, while public education campaigns empower consumers to demand labelled, fresh products.
As Kashmir grapples with this crisis, restoring faith in its food supply is paramount. The rotten meat scam is more than a health hazard; it’s a symptom of eroded values in the valley already burdened by challenges. Let this be the catalyst for genuine reform—transparent, swift, and uncompromising. The people of Kashmir deserve nothing less than safe, honest sustenance on their plates.