Pigs, protests and police: How tensions flared over Bakrid goats in Mira Road housing society

THANE: Tensions flared in Mira Road near Mumbai after a video showing a policeman running away with a pig — allegedly being taken towards the protest site — went viral on Tuesday amid a row over goats being kept inside the Poonam Cluster society premises ahead of Bakrid.The controversy erupted after members of the housing society objected to around 40-50 goats being housed within the residential complex for ritual sacrifice during Eid celebrations.Videos of heated arguments between members of both communities circulated widely on social media on Monday evening, with both sides standing firm on their positions. One person was reportedly injured during the altercation.On Tuesday afternoon, the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) removed around 40-50 goats from the society premises using three pickup trucks and shifted them to a designated site allocated by the civic body.Heavy deployment of Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police personnel was made in the area to ensure law and order and prevent any untoward incident. Locals maintained that animal sacrifice should be carried out only at officially designated locations and not within housing societies.Later, a group gathered outside the society and recited the Hanuman Chalisa.Visuals from the spot also showed members of certain Hindu groups carrying pigs near the protest site as a mark of protest.Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya visited Mira Road and demanded a ban on animal sacrifice within housing society premises, saying only designated spaces should be used for the purpose.He said it was the responsibility of the municipal corporation to ensure compliance with the rules. Somaiya also referred to last month’s incident in Mira Road in which two security guards were allegedly stabbed after religious profiling by accused Zaib Ansari.Local BJP MLA Narendra Mehta said all communities should celebrate their festivals without disturbing others. He alleged that around 40-50 goats had been kept “illegally” inside the Poonam Cluster society over the past two days, triggering objections from residents.According to Mehta, society members had repeatedly requested that the animals be removed, but tensions escalated on Monday night. He added that residents were unhappy because the authorities could have acted a few days earlier.