Jain Monk Launches Indefinite Fast at Azad Maidan to Protest Dadar Kabutarkhana Closure

A Jain monk, Nileshchandra Vijay, started a demonstration against the city body's intention to close the Dadar Kabutarkhana, a location where locals have historically fed pigeons, at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Monday.

The monk told reporters that he planned to hold an indefinite fast to seek the restoration of the Kabutarkhana before beginning his demonstration at a location near the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) offices in south Mumbai.

He was responding to the BMC's recent decision to permit pigeons to be fed under strict supervision at four different locations: Worli Reservoir, the Gorai site in Borivali West, the Airoli-Mulund check post area and the mangrove area on Lokhandwala Back Road in Andheri West.

Non-governmental organisations will be in charge of overseeing these locations, and feeding will only be allowed between 7 and 9 am, according to the BMC.

The civic authority has made it clear that closed Kabutarkhanas will not be reopened for the time being and that this is a temporary solution until the expert committee's report and court instructions are obtained.

"I have stopped drinking water from the moment I reached Azad Maidan. My protest is within the framework of the Constitution written by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, who has given the right to each individual to protest in a democratic way," Nileshchandra Vijay told reporters.

"I do not approve of the decision of granting four alternate sites for Kabutarkhana. I want reopening of Dadar kabutarkhana. The alternate sites given by the BMC are as far as 4, 5 and even 9 kilometres away. Will a pigeon fly so far? The administration should have given a site within 2 km of the existing Kabutarkhana," the Jain monk said.

Asserting he would sit in protest, forsaking food and water for a month, he also spoke on the now-scrapped sale of a Jain trust property to a builder in Pune and alleged attack on cow vigilantes in various parts of Maharashtra.

"Do not give us any lollypop, but allow me to continue my protest here. I believe Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde can take action and find a solution. I appeal to the members of the Jain community across the country to come to Mumbai and support the cause to reopen Dadar Kabutarkhana," he said.

'If (Maratha quota activist) Manoj Jarange can protest at the Azad Maidan for his community's interest, then why can't he sit there for the welfare of all the animals, the monk questioned.'

"If I am asked to leave this place, I will sit (in protest) at Dadar Kabutarkhana. The permission given for feeding the pigeons states that the birds can be fed two hours each in the morning and evening at the alternate sites. I demand that similar permission be given for the Dadar Kabutarkhana," Vijay said.

He added that if the local council assigned a suitable location, the community would be prepared to contribute money to buy land.

He stated that the Jain community is prepared to raise money to buy a site if the BMC provides one.

"The Kabutarkhana in Dadar area has existed for more than a century and holds religious significance for the community. These Kabutarkhanas are more than a hundred years old. It is the house of pigeons, and it is our responsibility to protect their home," he said.

The monk claimed that since the closure of the feeding area, the pigeon population has drastically declined.

"Wherever the Jain community has its residences and buildings, pigeons are being fed. But more than one lakh pigeons have died since the closure of the Kabutarkhana. Community organisations have currently been treating 50 to 60 injured or sick pigeons daily," he claimed.

He asserted the protest would remain peaceful.

"We are protesting for the pigeons, which are considered messengers of peace," he said.

Shiv Sena leader Maneesha Kayande initially brought up the issue of feeding pigeons and the health risks linked with their presence in crowded metropolitan areas on July 3 during the Maharashtra Legislature's Monsoon session. Residents in the vicinity of Dadar Kabutarkhana expressed their concerns.

There are 51 "Kabutarkhanas" in the city, according to Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant, who responded orally. He also stated that the BMC will be ordered to launch an awareness campaign against these establishments within a month and to shut them down.

According to Samant, there is a need to raise awareness of the risks associated with feeding pigeons. Following the BMC's removal of some encroachments at Dadar Kabutarkhana and subsequent covering of the area to prevent pigeon feeding, several members of the Jain community and animal lovers protested.

Nonetheless, several locals backed the prohibition, pointing to worries about pigeon droppings and the respiratory illnesses they cause.

In August, some members of the Jain community tore down the tarpaulin covers put up by the BMC at Dadar Kabutarkhana. At the time, Jain monks had gathered to pray for the pigeons that had supposedly perished after the Kabutarkhana was closed, and they were pleading with the government to reopen the enclosures.

However, community organisations like "Aamhi Girgaonkar" have displayed signs that read "Kabutar Go Back to Marwad Rajasthan" in protest of the Jain community's position, calling for the closing of the feeding enclosures in order to safeguard human health.

With PTI inputs.