'BCCI fell for false narrative, Halal meat has no health benefit', says Meamo co-founder

As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) faces heat amid reports that it has introduced 'halal meat' in its diet plan for the Indian cricket team, Republic Media Network spoke to meat specialist Sudarshan Boosupalli, who is the co-founder of meat company - Meamo, to know his take on the reported decision.

Speaking to Republic Media Network, Sudarshan Boosupalli said, "There are enough scientific evidence to prove that Halal meat has no additional health benefits. In fact, it is a cruel and inhuman process. In today's world, where animal welfare is a major concern, halal should not be practiced at all where an animal goes through pain and torture before death.

Even Craig Johnson got an award in 2009 for his research on this issue. Last year, even the European Union’s top court supported banning such religious slaughtering. Halal should not happen in a civilised soceity. It is surprising to see that BCCI fell for a false narrative."

The cricket board has reportedly banned beef and pork in any form in the new strict diet regimen for the Indian men's cricket team. Reports also stated that the players have been asked to consume meat only in halal form. As per reports, the purpose of making the new diet plan is to keep the players fit and healthy for the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments.

The aim is to ensure that the players do not gain any extra weight or develop a healthy waistline before any important series or event, which will affect and reflect on their on-field performance. The new diet was made after the T20 World Cup, where India could not qualify for the semi-final.

What is Halal meat?

Several social media users have also been slamming the BCCI for its alleged decision to ban all other forms of meat except halal, with many claiming it is against Hindus, as eating halal meat is forbidden and against the religion. There are two ways of slaughtering an animal - the halal method is where the animal is given a cut and is left to bleed to death, and the jhatka method where the animal is slaughtered in one go.