A controversy erupted in Karnataka on Friday when a consignment of meat weighing about three tonnes loaded in about 150 cartons landed at Bengaluru Railway Station from Jaipur. Hindu activists alleged that the cartons contained dog meat.
The meat dealer, who had ordered the meat, dismissed the alleged claims. Now, officials of the food safety commissioner confirmed that the consignment contained chevon (goat meat).
The police registered three FIRs after the controversy. A senior police officer said, "The first FIR was against the transportation of meat, suspecting it could have been mixed with dog meat, and the second was against cow vigilante Puneet Kerehalli for obstructing food quality department officials from discharging their duty. Another FIR was registered against Puneet and his four associates for unlawful assembly in a public place."
K Srinivas, the commissioner of food safety, clarified, "The meat, at the outset, was not of a dog but is of a special breed of goat, Sirohi, which is largely found in Rajasthan and Kutch-Bhuj areas of Gujarat. They also have a slightly elongated tail and spots on them. Hence, people could easily confuse them for a dog. There were no signs of dog meat in the samples. Due to short supply of mutton and chevon, some traders source it from other states and sell it here at an affordable price."
