Protest erupts at Dadar Kabutarkhana after protesters try to feed pigeons forcibly
The protest comes a day after Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed BMC to permit the feeding of pigeons in a controlled manner. Over the weekend, BMC shut the 92-year-old feeding spot in Dadar and lodged First Information Reports (FIRs), much to the chagrin of animal rights activists and members of the Jain community for whom feeding pigeons holds religious significance.
Tensions flared in Dadar where hundreds of Jain community members flocked to the kabutarkhana, and some of them climbed atop the bamboo structure, and pulled down the tarpaulin sheets over the site, which BMC installed over the weekend.
Following the partial removal of the cover, the crowd, led by women, climbed inside the feeding ground and offered grains to the pigeons even as the police attempted to control the protesters.
Currently, the Mumbai police said they are filing an FIR against the forceful opening of the closed feeding site.
BMC action
Dadar Kabutarkhana is amongst the 44 feeding spots where the civic body has initiated action against pigeon feeding. Between July 13 and August 3, at least 141 people have been fined for feeding pigeons with the civic body collecting over Rs. 68,700 in penalties.
Mumbai is home to at least 51 such kabutarkhanas with the Maharashtra Government on July 3 called for the closure of these feeding sites owing to concerns of public health hazards.
However, BMC's stance on the closure of Kabutarkhanas gained further momentum after the Bombay High Court order issued on July 30, directing the civic body to lodge FIRs against those who 'illegally' and in a 'defiant' manner feed pigeons at Dadar West, among other feeding areas in Mumbai, despite the policy prohibiting the feeding.
Amid the civic body shutting pigeon feeding across the city, members of the Jain community Monday staged a 'Shantidoot Yatra' from Colaba to the Gateway of India, appealing for the reversal of the decision.
On Tuesday, CM Fadnavis had directed BMC to facilitate feeding of pigeons in public spaces in a controlled manner to ensure that the birds do not starve. Even as the civic body maintained that the sites would remain closed until the Bombay High Court hearing on August 7, officials said BMC was exploring the options of feeding for staggered durations, following Fadnavis's directives.
Anticipating agitation and protest, BMC Tuesday also asked the police for assistance in taking action against those who would be found feeding pigeons at public spaces.
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