Police in Masindi have in custody four people for operating a pork joint in a Muslim community stronghold.
The quartet who includes three men and a woman were arrested from Kirasa 1 Cell in Masindi Municipality before being detained at Masindi central police station.
A police officer who enforced the arrest but preferred to remain anonymous said the police intervened after intelligence reports emerged that Muslims in Kirasa 1 were planning to attack the pork sellers in the area which could result in bloodshed.
On interrogation, the detainees said they were working for a one Isaac Bahati.
However, efforts to get Bahati for a comment were fruitless.
Mr Khalifan Balikagira, the Secretary for Halal in Masindi Muslim District says the four were deliberately provoking the Muslim community in the area since it is known for donkey years to be a stronghold for Moslems.
Mr Mohammed Ozele, the Kirasa 1 Cell Chairman, says in addition to the area being predominantly occupied by the Muslim faithful whose religion does not allow them to eat pork, the business was operating in an unsanitary environment.
He vowed not to allow pork selling in the area.
Mr Ismail Aheebwa, one of the Muslims in Kirasa 1 says ever since the pork joint was established there, “it was always inconveniencing religiously besides the sellers operating near a toilet and emitting a bad odour and smoke spreading into business buildings forcing majority buyers to shun away”.
However, non-Muslims argue that the area being predominantly Muslim does not mean that the Muslim faithful there should infringe on the rights of other people who do not subscribe to their religion.
The Central Division Chairman, Mr Isaac Bongomin, told this news portal that the arrested neither contacted the Division office for guidance nor had permits for food handling which he blamed on the scenario.
