After Zomato furore, a renewed discussion on jhatka and halal meat

The food-delivery aggregator Zomato, in less than 24 hours, received a hefty dose of bouquets and brickbats on Twitter. While it was generously lauded on social media for standing up to a customer who refused to accept his delivery from a "non-Hindu rider", its secular credentials were questioned when some consumers smelled hypocrisy after pointing out that the food delivery website hosts halal-certified restaurants. Now, the delivery service is apparently mulling over using the "jhatka" tag to identify non-halal meat, if that is what users want.

But what is jhatka meat? In Hindi, jhatka means swift. In this method, an animal's head is severed in one single stroke or incision. It is generally associated with animal slaughter in the Sikh tradition where Guru Gobind Singh is said to have prescribed meat-eating as fit for human consumption when it is killed quickly without causing prolonged suffering or religious ritual. Jhatka-bali is a modern Hindu practice as it finds no mention in the Rigveda where some hymns have indicated slaughter of animals for food and sacrifice.

The Islamic tradition of halal, which in Arabic means permissible, involves slitting the animal's throat without first stunning it. A cut is made to the jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe. And the Quranic verse is read as dedication before the meat is cut. Animals are required to be healthy at the time of slaughter which implies that they can't be "stunned" or knocked out before they are killed. This is considered less painful and is meant to reduce suffering.

Both Sikhs and Muslims, therefore, consider their methods to be the least painful to the animals. Scientifically though, it still hasn't been established which method is less traumatic to the animals.

Some consider halal as a healthier way to slaughter animals, as the blood is drained out from the animal's carcass, leading to a release of toxins. In the jhatka method, blood is not drained entirely; chances of blood clotting are also higher with a quick, sudden incision. Hence, the jhatka meat is considered to be tougher and drier while halal meat more tender and soft.

In most supermarket chains and slaughterhouses in India, meat procured from the halal method is becoming a norm.

The current debate seems more aligned to debate on Muslim and Hindu way of animal slaughter for food consumption.

Last year in August, BJP-ruled East Delhi Municipal Corporation had passed a resolution stating that it will be compulsory for restaurants and eateries in east Delhi to specify if they are serving jhatka or halal meat. EDMC’s standing committee chairman Satyapal Singh had said, “There are several Hindus who do not eat halal meat. The decision has been taken to ensure that their religious sentiments are not hurt.”

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