Jammu-based Hindu group seeks ban on halal certification, says ‘limit it to willing populations, essential items only’

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A Hindu group, Jan Jagran Manch, on Saturday (October 3, 2026) held a street protest in Jammu against halal certification of products in J&K and sought a blanket ban on such labels like in Uttar Pradesh.  

“Hindus neither need nor are interested in halal products. Our protest is to raise public awareness over how halal certification was an attack on the livelihood of Hindus and Sikhs. Like Uttar Pradesh, there should be a complete ban on halal certification except for export purposes,” said the leader of the Manch, while speaking to the press in Jammu.  

He said the Manch was for halal certification to “be restricted only to willing populations or essential items”. It asked the government to take over the process of certification of all products and strictly regulate and monitor through the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and not private institutions. “We are not sure where the money raised through halal certification goes,” the leader added.

The Manch claimed that halal certification was no longer limited to meat. “Cement, iron, hotels, tourism, and medicines are brought under halal certification. Private (Muslim) organizations are collecting crores of rupees annually in the name of certification and renewal fees, with no transparency regarding fund tracking or usage,” said the Manch leader.

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