A fight on Halal meat controversy erupted in Kangana Ranaut hosted show Lock Upp after the contestants were shown news reports that Karnataka CM had said he would look into the demand of banning Halal meat. Reportedly, CM Basavaraj Bommai had said on Wednesday that his government would look into the matter as serious objections have been raised about it. After learning about the development, several contestants, including Munawar Faruqui, Zeeshan khan and others, objected to the reports leading to an argument between the contestants.
It may be noted that Lock Upp is a captivity-based reality show produced by Alt Balaji and hosted by Kangana Ranaut, which is streamed on two OTT platforms, Alt Balaji and MX Player.
So-called comedian Munawar Faruqui, who was arrested for making derogatory comments on Hindu Gods and mocking victims of the Godhra train burning incident, called it a stupid decision. One of the contestants questioned what was Halal, to which he replied, “There are two types of meat. One is in which an animal is killed by shock in a machine, and the second is Halal, in which they cut the animal’s neck and let the blood flow. Muslims prefer Halal.” Poonam Pandey, who was supporting Munawar, claimed that the blood contains all the diseases, and by letting it flow, the diseases in the meat get removed. Munawar said the killing by shock should be banned but not Halal.
Payal Rohatgi, who was sitting with the other contestants, supported the ban on Halal meat and said, “I think the way animal is butchered in Halal where it sees its blood flowing, that torture should be done. Halal meat means you are promoting a religion indirectly through the selling of that meat.” Zeeshan Khan, who was sitting next to Rohatgi, claimed that a lot of times, when a chicken is killed using the Jhatka method does not die instantly. “It is not about the way it is killed. The argument will lead to okay everyone should turn vegetarian,” he said.
Though the discussion ended there, it re-erupted and turned into a fight later between Rohatgi and Zeeshan. During some argument over the game, both the contestants suddenly started arguing about Halal meat again. Rohatgi said Halal meat should be banned and, during the argument, spat on Zeeshan, alleging he spat on her first.
‘Halal meat should be banned’
Rohatgi further said he is promoting terrorism by promoting halal meat, which further irked Zeeshan. He threatened her to ask her lawyer to be prepared. Rohatgi again claimed Halal meat promotes terrorism, and Zeeshan is a product of it. Later, Rohatgi apologised for her behaviour in the camera and said, “I am being extensively bullied. I am sorry for my behaviour but see their real colours.”
During the conversation with the contestants, the host of the show Kangana Ranaut said things like Halal meat and Gau Mutra are strictly religious practices. If you feed some Gau Mutra or Halal meat without their approval, they will feel overwhelmed. However, there are a lot of places in our country where people are fed Halal meat forcefully or without their knowledge. Flight food is among them. The international food chains where you eat burgers and pizzas use Halal meat. When the discussion to ban Halal meat is happening, it is for those who do not prefer or follow Halal practices. Just like you cannot feed anyone Gau Mutra forcefully, similarly, Halal meat should be an option.
She also called out Zeeshan for promoting Halal meat on the show. She said, “There was a Guru on the show who promoted Gau Mutra, and we objected to that. Similarly, for Those who do not eat Halal meat, it is overwhelming for them.”
Rohtagi had urged to boycott Halal meat
This is not the first time Payal Rohatgi has demanded a ban on Halal meat. In December 2020, she released a video in which she called for a boycott of Halal meat. She said the way animal is slaughtered in the Halal process is torturous and should be boycotted.
Halal meat controversy
For years, people from the Hindu and Sikh community have been calling for a ban on Halal meat or at least providing a choice to choose between Jhatka and Halal. Interestingly, Halal is no longer limited to meat and has expanded to vegetarian food, investments, housing and more. As per Islamic regulations, if anything has been certified Halal, the company must have Muslim employees to ensure Halal practices are followed. Halal, which is a billion-dollar industry, is now receiving sharp criticism as other communities, including Sikhs and Hindus, claim they are being forced to eat Halal products, and companies fail to inform them about Halal endorsements.
