As BMC cracks down on feeding pigeons, Jain community holds maha-pooja, collects hundreds of dead birds, and vows to step up protest; the event is intended to seek divine intervention in opposing the Maharashtra government's recent decision.
Kabutarkhana at Dadar covered with tarpaulin sheets. Pic/Shadab Khan
Amid rising heat on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over the ban on feeding pigeons at kabutarkhanas across Mumbai, members of the Jain community will hold a maha-pooja at the Dadar Jain temple on Tuesday afternoon. The event is intended to seek divine intervention in opposing the Maharashtra government's recent decision.
The maha-pooja is scheduled for 2.30 pm at the temple located at the Dadar kabutarkhana junction. About 450 members of the community are expected to attend. Sandeep Doshi, a trustee of the temple, told mid-day, “The pooja is open to all Jain devotees. However, the temple’s capacity is limited to 450 people. We expect many more to join.”
The decision comes a day after Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha directed BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani to find an amicable solution to the ban, keeping in mind the sentiments of animal overs and devotees. On Sunday, the Jain community also held a silent protest march from Azad Maidan to the Gateway of India.
On Saturday, BMC covered the Dadar kabutarkhana, an over 100-year-old structure, according to the adjoining Jain temple, with plastic sheets. This was part of its ongoing crackdown on the feeding of pigeons at kabutarkhanas across the city. There are at least 51 such structures in Mumbai. The one at Dadar is attached to the Jain temple, where members frequently feed pigeons as an act of devotion. Following the BMC action, the temple on Sunday hired seven labourers to rescue pigeons from the streets who were being hit by vehicles while looking for food.
According to Doshi, the community has collected 930 dead birds from the streets near the Dadar kabutarkhana over the past three days. “This is unacceptable and goes against all our values. We believed the Bharatiya Janata Party was a ‘Sanatan Party’ that cared about such issues. So many lives are being lost due to a decision either taken or supported by its leadership. We now have no option but to exercise our democratic rights and protest on a larger scale,” he said.
Penalty for feeding pegion in the city
Between July 4 and August 3, 2025, the BMC collected R1,24,400 in fines from 249 violations of the pigeon-feeding ban across Mumbai. The Dadar kabutarkhana recorded the highest penalties
Total (Mumbai)
Rs 1,24,400
No of cases
249
Dadar kabutarkhana
Rs 27,200
No of cases
61
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