The Karnataka Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Department has asked the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to direct all slaughterhouses and chicken shops in the city to ensure that animals are “stunned” mandatorily,  before they are slaughtered for meat. It has asked the Bengalur ucivic body to check the stunning facility, while issuing licences for slaughterhouses and chicken shops.

Though such communication is said to be a routine affair, it has come amidst controversy around right-wing groups giving a call to boycott ‘halal’ meat during Ugadi festivities. Citing the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, in a letter dated April 1, the Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, Bengaluru Urban district, has written a letter to BBMP for ensuring stunning of animals before they are slaughtered for meat.