False claim: Dog meat seized at Nashik railway station

According to a message shared widely on social media and WhatsApp, 500 kilograms of dog meat has been seized by officials from Nashik railway station. A photograph accompanies the viral message that reads, “Aaj nashik road station par 500 kg Kutte ka gosht pakda gaya. Yeh gosht har roz Dhaba, Hotel aur restaurant mein supply kiya jata hai. Mumbai , new Mumbai aur doosri jagah yeh supply kiya jata hai. Bohot jald kin kin restaurant mein supply hota hai us ki list bahar aayegi. Meharbani karke hotalon aur dhabon par vegetarian khana khaein.”

The above post by a user includes a screenshot taken from WhatsApp. The post has been shared over 500 times since November 26. Expectedly, the same is circulating widely on WhatsApp. Alt News also received several requests on its official app for verification.

The message states that dog meat is supplied daily to restaurants and dhabas in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, and that a list of restaurants where the meat is supplied will be made public soon.

FACT CHECK: FALSE CLAIM

The aforementioned claim is false. Upon reverse-searching the image on Google, Alt News found an article by The News Minute which had published this photo. The article was published in November 2018 and titled, ‘Rotten meat seized from Chennai railway station not dog meat: Food Safety officials’.

Over two tonnes of rotting meat was found at Egmore railway station in Chennai in November 2018. The meat was shipped from Jaipur, and the tails on the carcasses led to speculation it could be dog meat. Food safety officials however later confirmed that the meat was of goat or sheep, and not dog.

It may thus be noted that the claim that dog meat was seized at Nashik railway station is false. The photograph pertains to rotten meat seized at the Egmore railway station in Chennai in November 2018. In a similar instance earlier in the year, it was falsely claimed that dog meat was seized from a restaurant in Kolkata.