The Khun Hynñiewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has condemned an apparent government instruction to meat shops in Upper Shillong to conceal the produce they sell behind tinted glass as an “insult to the indigenous community”.
The rationale behind such a move is to supposedly protect tourists from the often gory sight of raw meat and to avoid potential negative feelings about seeing the display of beef.
Speaking to Highland Post KHNAM leader Thomas Passah said that the party is shocked to learn that these shops have been instructed by the Commissioner of Food Safety to use tinted glass so that tourists travelling through these areas do not have to see the meat. He added that pork butchers have also been instructed to paint their shops white, with red the corresponding colour for beef shops.
KHNAM said that it and the butchers agree that the Commissioner’s instruction to cover the meat is right and proper as it will improve hygiene standards “but the instruction to use tinted glass is not welcome and it seems that this latter instruction issued by the department is an insult to the indigenous communities who consume beef and pork.”
Passah said that just as the tribals of Meghalaya do not interfere with the beliefs and food habits of other communities in the rest of India, the local way of life should not be impinged upon by or for others.
Meanwhile, general secretary of the Khasi-Jaiñtia Butcher Welfare Association (KJBWA), Generous Warlarpih, said that using tinted glass will hamper the ordinary passerby from assessing the quality of the meat.
“This instruction is like trying to take away the rights of the consumer and to change our way of life and food habits, which is unwelcome,” Warlarpih said, adding that the KJBWA is in favour of keeping the meat behind glass but not the tinted variety.
