A video is being shared widely on social media with the claim that 14 tonnes of dog meat was seized at a railway station in Bengaluru, Karnataka. This claim was shared by multiple verified handles and news outlets, who further added a communal hue.
BOOM investigated the claim and found it to be false. According to the test results released by the Hyderabad-based National Research Centre on Meat (NRCM), the seized meat was tested and found to be of sheep.
On July 26, 2024, right-wing activist created a row at Bengaluru's KSR railway station after a large consignment of meat arrived from Rajasthan via the Jaipur-Mysore Express, alleging that a large quantity of dog meat has been imported into Bengaluru, and demanded action from food safety officials.
These allegations were reported by multiple news outlets including Navbharat Times, ABP News, Republic News, One India, and Asianet, along with right-leaning portal OpIndia.
The viral video being shared on social media shows consignments kept at a railway station, while the right-wing activist Puneet Kerehalli speaks in Kannada, targeting the Congress-led state government by calling it dog meat.
Sharing the video, verified user @ajaychauhan41 wrote on Twitter, "Big breaking news. 14 tons of dog meat seized in Karnataka. 14 thousand kg of dog meat brought from Rajasthan to Bangalore was seized near Bangalore Railway Station Majestic. Bangalore's meat business is completely in the hands of Muslim leader Abdul Razak."
Click here for an archive of the above post.
The claim is also viral on Facebook, and can be viewed here and here.
Fact Check
BOOM did a relevant keyword search on Google, and came across several media reports which stated that the seized meat was of sheep. A July 31 report by Deccan Herald read, "Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said that the samples collected from the railway station were sent to the National Meat Research Institute at ICAR in Hyderabad."
The report further adds a statement from FSSAI which reads, “A detailed analysis report from the institute which carried out Molecular Biomarker Analysis (DNA) test on the samples, confirmed that the meat was of Ovis aries (sheep).”
A July 31, 2024 report by The Hindu further quoted Srinivas K, the Food and Health Commissioner Srinivas, as saying that the alleged dog meat seized at the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) City Railway Station was confirmed as sheep meat after DNA testing. "The sample collected from the seized meat was sent to the national meat research institute, which is the nodal lab for the department, and the report confirmed that is sheep meat," Srinivas added.
Additionally, a report by the Indian Express on this matter also included a quote from Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, who stated that the allegations of dog meat against meat traders were made with "malicious intent. “Bringing meat from Rajasthan and selling it is the profession of the persons involved. They sell meat once a week, or once every 15 days. The report confirmed that it is goat meat, not dog meat,” the report quoted him as saying.
On searching further on this matter, we found an X post by Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, dated July 31, where he shares a report by the ICAR-NMRI, and writes, "Following recent media reports alleging the transportation of mutton and other animal meat from Rajasthan to Bengaluru via train, we committed to thoroughly investigating this matter through scientific verification. To ensure accuracy, we sent a total of 84 parcels to the ICAR-National Meat Research Institute in Hyderabad for rigorous lab analysis."
He further adds, "After meticulous testing, the lab results have conclusively confirmed that the meat in question originates from sheep. This finding lays to rest any speculation or misinformation surrounding the issue."
BOOM also accessed a press release issued by FSSAI on this matter, which also confirmed that the meat seized at the station was that of sheep.
