Jammu group demands restrictions on halal certification in Jammu and Kashmir

A Hindu group, Jan Jagran Manch, held a street protest in Jammu on October 3 against halal certification of products in Jammu and Kashmir and called for restrictions on the practice. The group demanded a blanket ban on halal labels, except for export purposes, citing Uttar Pradesh as a model. Its leader also said certification should be limited to populations that want it or to essential items.

The organisation called on the government to take over certification and to regulate and monitor it through the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. It opposed the involvement of private institutions in the process. The group’s leader said the protest was intended to raise awareness about what he described as an attack on the livelihoods of Hindus and Sikhs.

He also questioned how money collected through halal certification was used. Jan Jagran Manch alleged that certification was no longer restricted to meat. It claimed that products and services including cement, iron, hotels, tourism and medicines were being brought within its scope.

The group further alleged that private Muslim organisations collected crores of rupees each year through certification and renewal fees, without sufficient transparency over the tracking or use of the funds. These claims were made by the organisation during the protest and are not independently verified in the supplied material. The source does not report a response from the Jammu and Kashmir administration, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, certification bodies or organisations representing Muslim communities.