Dadar Kabutarkhana row: Activists raise insider-outsider issue over pigeon feeding
The activists alleged that when protests by the Jain community broke out last week against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) efforts to implement the Bombay High Court (HC) ban on pigeon feeding, 'police chose to remain silent spectators'. The activists also alleged that police purportedly detained members of the Samitee on Wednesday who only wished to give a memorandum to them stating that 'police should not allow anyone to take law into their own hands like the Jain community's protest last week, and should it occur again, stringent action should be taken'.
Established on June 6, 2015, the Samitee claims to be a non-political outfit, but a civil society group formed to protect Marathi language, Marathi pride, Marathi schools and jobs that lead to the progress of Marathi people. It however drew the spotlight on itself in July 2025 when it organised a march in Mira Road, which was joined by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena (UBT) workers, following a row between Marathi and non-Marathi speaking traders, after a shopkeeper was allegedly assaulted by a local activist for failing to speak in Marathi.
The Samitee, staged the protest on Wednesday against attempts being made to connect a social issue related to public health with religious sentiments. Gowardhan Deshmukh, chief of the Samitee, along with other activists were detained by police.
One of the detained activists said, 'Closing Dadar Kabutarkhana is not a religious issue but a social and health issue. A Jain monk had put out a warning that they would use weapons. Against whom? This should be stopped. No one should give a religious colour to a judicial decision. Unfortunately no Marathi minister came in support of us and people affected by pigeons.'
Deshmukh slammed police for using force against the activists and showed how he hurt his hand in the process. 'The Jains in Maharashtra have lived peacefully for centuries but those who came from Gujarat and Rajasthan are damaging social harmony,' Deshmukh said, warning, 'the Samitee will organise a protest march if the pressure tactics do not stop'.
The Jain monk that the activist referred to is Nileshchandra Vijay. After the HC order on Wednesday asking BMC to seek suggestions and objections on pigeon feeding, Vijay said, the community will move Supreme Court (SC) to lift the ban, 'and should SC rule against it lakhs of people from the Jain community along with me will go on an indefinite hunger strike, which is the biggest weapon'.
Clarifying his stance of last week, Vijay said, 'When I said we will take up arms, it was misunderstood. Protests by the Marathi organisation were politically motivated with eye on local body polls. Our struggle is to save the lives of animals.'
Last week, around 1000 people from the Jain community gathered at the Dadar Kabutarkhana and tore down the plastic sheet put up by the civic body with knives and blades. Later, however, both the Dadar Kabutarkhana Trust and the elders of the Jain community claimed they were not responsible for the vandalism.
Speaking up on the issue, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said: 'Some people are trying to polarise society ahead of the local body election.' He added, 'Measures will be taken to create separate spaces for pigeons away from human habitat, which will not hurt religious sentiments (as suggested by minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha last week). Those trying to create conflict will not succeed.'
On the other hand, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said: 'So-called animal lovers should think about people who suffer from health problems due to pigeons and those affected by dog bites.'
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