Prabhat Ranjan Deen
LUCKNOW, Nov 18. An FIR has been lodged against Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and others in Lucknow Police Commissionerate for making malicious attempt to exploit a specific religious sentiment and potentially incite discord among communities
According to the FIR, entities such as Halal India Private Limited Chennai, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust Delhi, Halal Council of India Mumbai, Jamiat Ulama Maharashtra and others exploited religious sentiments to boost sales by providing Halal certificates to customers of a specific religion.
Taking cognizance of the issue, Uttar Pradesh Government today issued an order that forbade the production, storage, distribution, and sale of food products with the Halal certification with immediate effect. There is a conspiracy going on to instigate Muslims and create enmity among people of other religions through the business of Halal certification, the Government said.
“Strict legal measures will be implemented against any individual or firm engaged in the production, storage, distribution, buying, and selling of Halal certified medicines, medical devices, and cosmetics within Uttar Pradesh. However, products manufactured for export will not be subject to the restrictions,” the Government added.
The State Government recently received information indicating that products such as dairy items, sugar, bakery products, peppermint oil, salty ready-to-eat beverages, and edible oils are being labeled with Halal certification. Additionally, certain medicines, medical devices, and cosmetic products are reported to feature the Halal certificate on their packaging or labeling. However, there are no provisions for marking Halal certification on labels in the Government rules related to drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics, nor is there any mention of Halal certification in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and its related rules.
Similarly, according to the Act and rules applicable to food items, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, the apex body for food items, has been given the right to determine the standards of food items, based on which the quality of food items is ensured. Halal certification, operating as a parallel system, creates confusion regarding food quality, violating Government rules in this regard.
The person on whose complaint the FIR was registered against Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and other entities, has raised concerns over a potential large-scale conspiracy, indicating attempts to decrease the sales of products from companies lacking the Halal certificate, which is illegal.
The complainant alleged that, under the guise of religion, unrestrained propaganda is being disseminated within a particular section of society to discourage the use of products lacking a Halal certificate. This, in turn, harms the business interests of other communities. Such a malicious attempt not only seeks unfair financial benefits by issuing Halal certificates for items meant for common citizens but also forms part of a pre-planned strategy to sow class hatred, create divisions in society, and weaken the country.
There is a suspicion that money obtained illegally under the guise of a Halal certificate through the use of forged documents is funding terrorist groups and anti-national activities. “The companies/organizations are preparing forged certificates and issuing Halal certificates to various companies for financial gain, fostering not only social animosity but also violating public trust,” the complainant said.
The complainant expresses concern over these individuals amassing disproportionate profits and potentially channeling funds towards supporting terrorist organizations and anti-national endeavors.
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