New Delhi: Hundreds of members of the Jain community on Wednesday (August 6) morning reached the iconic kabutarkhana in Dadar and forcefully opened it and offered grains to pigeons.

The protests took place in response to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC’s) closure of the spot last weekend after directions from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who had directed the BMC to permit feeding of pigeons in a controlled manner, reported Indian Express.

On June 30, the Bombay High Court had directed the BMC 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.

However, tensions flared on Wednesday where hundreds of Jain community members flocked to the kabutarkhana. Some of the protesters climbed atop the bamboo structure, and pulled down the tarpaulin sheets over the site, which the BMC had installed over the weekend.

Thereafter, the cover was partially removed and the crowd, led by women, climbed inside the feeding ground before offering grains to the pigeons even as the police attempted to control the protesters.

“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,” said Sandeep Doshi from the Dadar Kabutarkhana Trust.

The Mumbai Police said that no FIR had been filed in the matter, until Wednesday evening.

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