Jain monk stages protest against closure of Dadar Kabutarkhana in Mumbai

Mumbai: Jain monk Nileshchandra Vijay began a protest at Mumbai's Azad Maidan on Monday, opposing the civic body's decision to shut down the Dadar Kabutarkhana, a site where the community members have traditionally fed pigeons.

Speaking to reporters before starting his protest at the site near the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters in south Mumbai, the monk said he intended to stage an indefinite fast to demand restoration of the Kabutarkhana.

He was reacting to the BMC's recent move to allow controlled feeding of pigeons at four locations- Worli Reservoir, the mangrove area on Lokhandwala Back Road in Andheri West, the Airoli-Mulund check post area, and Gorai ground in Borivali West.

According to the BMC, feeding will be permitted only between 7 am and 9 am, and non-governmental organisations will be responsible for managing these sites.

The civic body has clarified that this is a temporary arrangement until the expert committee's report and court orders are received, and that closed Kabutarkhanas will not be reopened for now.

"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.

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? "If I am asked to leave this place, I will sit (in protest) at Dadar Kabutarkhana," he said.

"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 also said their community was willing to raise funds to purchase land if the civic body allotted an appropriate site.

"If the BMC gives a site, the Jain community is ready to purchase it by raising funds," he said.

The Kabutarkhana in Dadar area has existed for more than a century and holds religious significance for the community, the Jain monk said.

"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, the pigeons are being fed. But more than one lakh pigeons have died since the closure of the Kabutarkhana," he claimed, adding that community organisations have currently been treating 50 to 60 injured or sick pigeons daily.

He asserted that the protest would remain peaceful. "We are protesting for the pigeons, which are considered messengers of peace," he added.

Earlier, the Jain community had staged protests across Mumbai opposing the civic body's decision, even as several residents supported the ban, citing concerns over pigeon droppings and related respiratory ailments.

The Jain community members had launched demonstrations after the civic body shut down pigeon-feeding enclosures in compliance with a Bombay High Court order.

Tensions first escalated in August after members of the community tore down the tarpaulin covers installed by the BMC at Dadar Kabutarkhana. The civic body, however, maintained its decision to keep the facilities closed.

Jain monks had held a prayer meeting for the pigeons that reportedly died following the closure of the Kabutarkhana, urging the government to reopen the enclosures.

Community groups such as "Aamhi Girgaonkar" protested the Jain community's stance by displaying placards reading "Kabutar Go Back to Marwad Rajasthan", supporting the closure of the feeding enclosures to protect the health of humans.