Uttar Pradesh: Gorakhpur malls raided after state ban on Halal-certified food items

Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 21 : Close on the heels of the Yogi Adityanath government imposing a ban on Halal-certified food items in the state, the chief food information officer of Gorakhpur conducted a raid at City Mall and AD Mall on Tuesday.
While the team carried out raids at 7 to 8 places in the city, no Halal-certified food items were found anywhere, according to officials.
Speaking to reporters, Chief Food Information Officer Hitendra Mohan Tripathi said, "Apart from the FSI logo on fertilizers and beverages, we received a tip-off about some Halal-certified food items, the sale of which has been banned by the state government, entering the market. As part of the crackdown, we are checking food stores and other places. Any Halal-certified food items that we find will be banned from sale."
He informed that raids were conducted at seven to eight places but no food items with Halal certification were found.
Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak told reporters, "Our government has a zero-tolerance policy against crime and corruption and we will have a similar approach in this matter as well."
Earlier, the state government, in a decisive step against the illegal issuance of 'Halal Certificates', came out with an order forbidding the production, storage, distribution, and sale of food products with Halal certification with immediate effect, according to an official release.
The ban came into effect after CM Adityanath took cognizance of the issue, according to the statement.