Jain monk Nileshchandra Vijay began a protest at Mumbai's Azad Maidan on Monday (November 3, 2025), opposing the civic body's decision to shut down the Dadar Kabutarkhana, a site where the community members have traditionally fed pigeons.
Speaking to reporters before starting his protest at the site near the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters in south Mumbai, the monk said he intended to stage an indefinite fast to demand restoration of the Kabutarkhana.
The BMC recently allowed controlled feeding of pigeons at four locations- Worli Reservoir, the mangrove area on Lokhandwala Back Road in Andheri West, the Airoli-Mulund check post area, and Gorai ground in Borivali West.
According to the BMC, feeding will be permitted only between 7 am and 9 am, and non-governmental organisations will be responsible for managing these sites.
The civic body has clarified that this is a temporary arrangement until the expert committee's report and court orders are received, and that closed Kabutarkhanas will not be reopened for now.
