After Mira Road, Hindus object to sacrificial goats in Mumbai’s Dindoshi; caretaker says BMC permission obtained, no laws violated

Mumbai: A day after communal tensions flared in Mira Road over sacrificial goats ahead of Eid al-Adha, a similar controversy erupted in Mumbai’s Dindoshi area after Hindu residents objected to goats being housed inside Marigold Co-Operative Housing Society for the festival.

Amid objections over the possibility of animal sacrifice within the residential premises, local corporator Priti Satam visited the spot, while the caretaker of the goat shed maintained that all necessary BMC permissions had been obtained and no laws had been violated.

Addressing residents gathered at the society, Satam said the opposition was not against religious practices but against conducting sacrifices inside a residential complex. She maintained that such rituals should be restricted to BMC-authorised slaughterhouses and not carried out in crowded residential spaces, especially near sensitive locations like schools. “We will not allow sacrifices to take place openly inside the premises,” she said.

Satam further argued that open sacrifices could create sanitation concerns and disturb residents’ sentiments. Some members of the housing society backed her stand, claiming that since the majority of residents are vegetarian, the ritual should not be held within the compound.

However, caretaker Sameer, who was overseeing the goat shed, said that all necessary permissions had been obtained from the BMC and no laws had been violated. Accusing Satam of repeatedly targeting the community during Bakri-Eid celebrations, he said Muslim residents had been observing the festival in the society for over two decades. According to him, around 40 Muslim families had collectively contributed to purchasing the goats.

The controversy came a day after a similar dispute in Mira Road in Thane district spiralled into violence over the construction of a temporary goat shed and the housing of sacrificial animals ahead of Bakrid. Muslim residents had reportedly brought 40 to 50 goats into the residential complex, prompting objections from other residents over hygiene concerns, society rules and court guidelines related to designated slaughter areas.

Although the temporary structure was later dismantled to calm tempers, tensions continued as the goats remained inside the society premises. The situation escalated late at night when members of Hindu right-wing organisations, including the VHP and Bajrang Dal, joined the protest outside the complex.