Chaos erupted at Mumbai’s Dadar Kabutarkhana on Wednesday (what time of the day) as members of the Jain community removed barricades set up by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and resumed pigeon feeding, defying court orders.

Protesters tried removing nets and covers citing faith.

Mumbai suburban district’s guardian minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, who later visited the spot, condemned the incident and said the police will take appropriate action. Lodha also appealed to the people to maintain peace, claiming the management of a nearby Jain temple trust had no role in the protest.

Mumbai’s Dadar Kabutarkhana, built in 1933 and considered a Grade-II heritage site turned into a flashpoint of a city-wide standoff between public health enforcement and faith-based practice.

Over the past two months, members of the Jain community have clashed with the BMC over restrictions on feeding pigeons at these enclosures, arguing that the practice is rooted in ‘jeev daya’, the Jain philosophy of compassion toward all living beings.

In fact, ‘Jeev Daya Devi’ is the Jain goddess who represents non-violence (Ahimsa) and cares for all forms of life, which is also a core tenet of Jainism.

But the BMC, backed by recent court orders, insists the closures are necessary to contain a growing public health hazard.

The turning point came on July 3, when minister Uday Samant, representing deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, announced during the Maharashtra Legislative Council session that 51 Kabutarkhanas across Mumbai would be shut down due to rising health concerns.

Civic officials cited studies from KEM Hospital and municipal health departments, which linked pigeon droppings and feathers to respiratory illnesses such as "pigeon lung."

Pigeon lung, also known as Bird Fancier's Lung or Pigeon Breeder's Lung, is a type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by exposure to antigens from pigeon droppings and feathers.

Between July 13 and August 3, BMC issued fines of Rs 500 each to 142 individuals caught feeding pigeons, amounting to Rs 68,700 in total. The Dadar location alone accounted for 61 of these fines. Nearby grain vendors were also penalised.

On July 31, the Bombay high court weighed in, ordering all Kabutarkhanas shut, including the one at Dadar, site of today’s protest.

While the court barred demolition of the heritage enclosures, it directed that FIRs be filed against those who defy the closure under public nuisance laws of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

By August 2, the BMC had sealed all 51 Kabutarkhanas using bamboo frames and tarpaulin sheets. At Dadar, power supply was cut off, and surveillance stepped up.

The enforcement triggered an emotional response from the Jain community. This week, a large-scale “Shantidoot Yatra” was organised from Colaba to the Gateway of India. Monks, community leaders, and volunteers demanded that daily feeding practices be restored.

Nareshchandra Ji Maharaj announced a fast unto death 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”, he told reporters.

The mounting pressure forced chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to step in on August 5.

Calling the ban “inappropriate,” he ordered the BMC to allow “controlled feeding” at fixed hours. He also called for a scientific study and proposed alternate feeding zones at BKC, Aarey Colony, and Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

Cultural affairs minister Ashish Shelar said the aim was to strike a balance between compassion for birds and public hygiene.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray accused the BJP of hypocrisy. Referring to previous BJP-backed demolitions of Jain derasars, he said, “They remember Jain sentiment only when elections come.”

Former MLC Sunil Shinde also warned that evicting pigeons without a proper plan would result in them invading residential colonies.

Kabutarkhanas are not new to Mumbai’s cityscape. Built largely between the 1920s and 1940s by Jain and Gujarati philanthropists, they are seen as structures of benevolence.

Animal rights group PETA had previously said while abrupt bans are not the answer, feeding should take place in designated, hygienic aviaries.

The NGO has erected billboards at Dadar kabutar khana, which feature a mother pigeon nesting with her chicks. This, according to PETA, honours mother pigeons as mums and Mumbaikars, reminding fellow Mumbaikars that pigeons are just as much a part of this city as their human neighbours.