Overview

• Religious leaders announced the Shanti Doot Jan Kalyan Party to contest BMC elections on an animal-protection platform.
• Leaders warned that kabutarkhanas must reopen by Diwali or they will begin protests and field candidates.
• The Maharashtra government ordered closures in July, and the Bombay High Court upheld a ban on feeding pigeons at these sites.
• Recent gatherings included a prayer meeting where a leader dismissed medical concerns, drawing objections from Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS.
• Authorities reported attempts to remove barriers at Dadar and issued 142 fines for illegal feeding as tensions persisted.