1. Mumbai Police detained Marathi Ekikaran Samiti members, including president Deshmukh, during a protest at Dadar’s kabutarkhana
2. Around 100 Jain community members had forcefully reopened the 92-year-old Dadar Kabutarkhana, fed pigeons.
3. The BMC closed 51 pigeon-feeding spots after a Bombay High Court order on July 30 directed FIRs against violators, citing health hazards.
Mumbai Police on August 13 detained several members of the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti, including its president, during a protest at the iconic kabutarkhana in Dadar. The group had gathered to demand strict enforcement of a court-ordered ban on feeding pigeons and to press for action against members of the Jain community who allegedly defied the ban last week.
A heavy police presence was deployed around the kabutarkhana since morning, with barricades placed at key access points. The adjoining Jain temple shut its doors ahead of the protest, as security forces moved in to prevent any escalation.
Marathi Ekikaran Samiti president Deshmukh questioned why no case had been registered against the Jain protesters who, on August 6, allegedly removed a tarpaulin cover placed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to stop pigeon feeding and clashed with police.
As tensions rose, officers moved in to detain Deshmukh along with other demonstrators and escorted them into police vehicles.
The August 6 protest by Jain community members had already drawn civic and police attention, prompting tighter security at the site this week. Hundred members of the Jain community forcefully reopened the 92-year-old Dadar Kabutarkhana and began feeding pigeons, defying a recent clampdown by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The dramatic protest came amid rising anger over the civic body’s action against pigeon feeding spots across the city. Chanting religious slogans and carrying sacks of grain, protestors gathered at the kabutarkhana early in the morning. Several members climbed onto the bamboo structure erected by the BMC and tore down tarpaulin sheets installed to block access. “This is a matter of faith,” said one protestor in a video doing rounds on social media. “We will not let the city forget its compassion under the garb of policy.”
The flashpoint follows BMC’s decision to shut down 51 traditional pigeon-feeding spots, including the Dadar Kabutarkhana, as part of a broader crackdown on what officials claim is an unsanitary and potentially hazardous practice. Between July 13 and August 3, 141 people were fined a total of Rs 1.2 lakh for feeding pigeons, reports showed.
The civic body’s action stems from a Bombay High Court order on July 30, which directed it to file FIRs against those continuing to feed pigeons “illegally” and in “defiance” of municipal rules, especially in areas like Dadar West. Over the weekend, BMC shuttered the Dadar site and began enforcing penalties, drawing the ire of religious groups and animal rights activists alike.