Kabutar Khana Row: Jain Community To Contest Upcoming BMC Elections? Here's All You Need To Know

With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) move to ban pigeon feeding and Kabutar Khanas, a massive protest sparked across Mumbai. Jain Muni Nileshchandra Vijay said during an address that he is forming a new political party called Shantidoot Jankalyan Party and will reportedly contest the upcoming BMC elections. He also said that the party will focus on the protection of animals and birds, News18 Lokmat reported. He further added that the election symbol will be of a pigeon.

The announcement came during a press conference held after a peace meeting organised at Yogi Hall in Dadar for pigeons that reportedly died following the closure of kabutar khanas in Mumbai. The Jain community has been claiming that thousands of pigeons died out of starvation and thirst since the kabutar khanas are closed.

Coming back to Jani Muni's address, he also drew a comparison with the past government and added, “Just as the Congress government once fell because of onions, Shiv Sena due to Chicken and now this government might fall because of pigeons.”

Jain Muni calls for a ban on alcohol

During the address, Muni Vijay said that many people in the country have died because of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. “Jitna ek kabutar se nahi mare, jitna prani se nahi mare, utna Bharat ke andar nasha se mare,” he remarked, stressing that substance abuse causes far more deaths than animals or birds ever could.

Kabatarkhana closure news: What happened so far

In July this year, the state government ordered the BMC to shut all 51 pigeon feeding locations in the city, citing health hazards like respiratory illnesses due to droppings and features of the pigeons. The matter also got politically heated ahead of the civic elections as the Jain community has been pressuring the BMC to reopen the kabutar khanas and allow pigeon feeding. In the August 9 edition, the FPJ had reported that the Jain community submitted their letter to the BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, asking to open the kabutar khanas in Mumbai and stop actions against the pigeon feeders.

On August 13, heavy police security was also deployed at the Dadar kabutar khana and the Jain temple doors were closed since morning as the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti had given a call for a massive protest. The samiti demaded enforcement of ban on pigeon feeding and actions against the Jain community protestors who had removed the tarpaulin from Dadar kabutar khana and fed the pigeons, in violation of the court orders.

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