Citizens march to protest ban on pigeon feeding in Mumbai
Jain muni, Nareshchandra Ji Maharaj, also announced a fast unto death on Aug 10 in order to demand the resumption of feeding of pigeons. "Hundreds of pigeons have died of starvation in Mumbai in the past few days because the state authorities have forcibly stopped animal lovers from feeding the birds. Dadar Kabutarkhana and other feeding sites have been sealed by BMC. We oppose this cruel ban on pigeon feeding," he said.
The venue for the hunger strike will soon be decided.
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Jain community leaders have urged citizens to join them for this cause.
Activist Sneha Visaria of Just Smile Charitable Trust, who participated in Sunday's protest march, said: "It is heartbreaking to see how over 50,000 pigeons have died on the streets and atop terraces because people have been stopped from feeding them...Hence this feeding ban is wrong and unethical."
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Animal activist Mitesh Jain said: "BMC is going against our Constitution's Article 51(A)(g) which says we must show compassion for all creatures. A recent RTI finding from Nair and Sion hospital show negligible effect of pigeons on human pulmonary health."
The Mahavir Mission Trust, Colaba Sakal Jain Sangh, and Rajasthani 36 Kaum-Colaba also participated in the protest march.
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Indian Express
14 minutes ago
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Tension after crowd forcefully opens Dadar Kabutarkhana to feed pigeons
Over a hundred members of the Jain community took to the streets Wednesday morning, forcefully opened the Dadar Kabutarkhana and offered grains to pigeons at a time when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s closure of such feeding spots has ruffled feathers across quarters in the city. Anticipating the agitation and protest, BMC Tuesday sought police assistance in taking action against those who would be found feeding pigeons at public spaces. 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 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. Some of them climbed atop the bamboo structure, and pulled down the tarpaulin sheets over the site, which the BMC had 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. Tucked in the bustling neighbourhood near Dadar railway station, Dadar Kabutarkhana — established in 1933 — is maintained by the Dadar Kabutarkhana Trust. According to members of the trust, over 980 pigeons had died in the vicinity over the past 3 days. 'It was to offer prayers, that a peace gathering had initially been planned on Wednesday. However, after our meeting with the Chief Minister where he spoke in favour of us, we had called off the gathering. Even as we had conveyed a message of the cancellation throughout the night, some members perhaps did not receive the message and gathered at the site on Wednesday morning,' said Sandeep Doshi from the Dadar Kabutarkhana Trust. He maintained that the extreme reactions were triggered by members outside of the Jain community, who had also gathered on Wednesday. 'Some other members from other communities also gathered and the extreme action was taken by them. While some things happened in the heat of the moment, we did not break anything, did not fight with the police nor the administration,' added Doshi. Even as the Mumbai Police had on Wednesday morning said that it was in the process of filing an FIR, officials said that no FIR was filed until Wednesday. 'We can file an FIR only on the basis of complaints filed by BMC, as the High Court had directed the BMC to take action on the matter,' an official from Mumbai Police told The Indian Express. Meanwhile, the BMC had not filed any complaints until Wednesday evening. Dadar Kabutarkhana is among the 44 feeding spots the civic body has initiated action against for 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 calling for the closure of these feeding sites owing to concerns of public health hazards. However, BMC's stance on the closure of Kabutar Khanas 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. 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'There has been news today that some animal lovers and particularly members of the Jain community have done destruction at the Dadar Kabutarkhana. This is not true. As per the decision taken on Tuesday, people had only come there to feed birds by opening the tarpaulin,' Sandeep Bhandari, president of BJP's Jain cell said on Wednesday. Earlier 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.
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