Mumbai Man Feeds Pigeons On Car Roof, FIR Registered

The man has been charged under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for public nuisance, disobeying a public servant’s order, and committing a negligent act likely to spread disease.

Mumbai Police have booked a Lalbaug resident for feeding pigeons in violation of civic rules, an act authorities say poses public health risks. The incident took place in Dadar, where the man was spotted serving grain from a tray placed on the roof of his car.

Shivaji Park police seized the vehicle and identified the accused as Mahendra Sanklecha. He has been charged under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for public nuisance, disobeying a public servant’s order, and committing a negligent act likely to spread disease. A notice has also been served.

The action follows the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) recent ban on public pigeon feeding and its decision to shut down city ‘kabutarkhanas’, citing the risk of respiratory diseases linked to pigeon droppings. The move has triggered a legal challenge in the Bombay High Court.

On Thursday, the court clarified it had not ordered the closure of kabutarkhanas, but had declined to stay the BMC’s ban.

Jain Community's Protest Over Kabutarkhana Closure

On Wednesday, over a hundred members of the Jain community defied civic orders and reopened the Dadar Kabutarkhana, offering grains to pigeons in a symbolic act of protest. 

Anticipating the protest, the BMC had on Tuesday sought police assistance to act against anyone found feeding pigeons in public spaces. Despite the presence of officers, tensions flared as members of the Jain community, for whom feeding pigeons holds deep religious significance, gathered in large numbers.

Protesters pulled down tarpaulin sheets installed by the BMC over the weekend, climbed onto the bamboo structures at the site, and entered the feeding area. Women led the crowd in scattering grains to the birds, while police attempted to manage the situation.

The incident was reported after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed the BMC to allow pigeon feeding in a regulated manner. The civic body had recently closed the 92-year-old Dadar Kabutarkhana and filed FIRs against those violating the ban, drawing strong opposition from animal rights activists and the Jain community.