A pig at the gate, TV cameras outside: The making of a viral Eid controversy

For two days in late May, several television channels ran breathless coverage of events outside Poonam Cluster 1, a cooperative housing society in the Mira Road suburb of Thane district. 

Hindutva activists gathered at the society gates. Some brought a pig. TV anchors spoke about “illegal qurbani”, and politicians weighed in. Social media amplified the images. The allegation was simple. That a gated residential complex had become the site of illegal animal sacrifice, and Hindutva groups had rightfully intervened.

There was, however, a problem with this account. 

Records reviewed by Newslaundry and confirmed by the managing committee and a large number of residents suggest that the 640-family cooperative housing society itself had for many years permitted residents to temporarily house goats before Eid-ul-Adha under a regulated arrangement. The same records repeatedly prohibited animal sacrifice inside the society.

What actually happened appears to be a story about objections by a group of five residents, a complaint copied to two Hindutva organisations, and a media cycle that seemingly moved faster than the facts.

Before latest complaint, objections to Taravih prayers

At the centre of the controversy was a temporary bamboo enclosure built to house goats in the days before Eid-ul-Adha, observed on May 28 this year.

This was not a new development. Society records show that similar arrangements had been formally approved before by the managing committee, which included both Muslim and non-Muslim members. 

The paper trail reviewed by Newslaundry – AGM minutes from 2019, a letter by the secretary in 2023, festival guidelines from October 2023, committee communication from May 2026, and the committee’s letters to police and the civic agency – suggests this: that the goats were permitted temporarily in a designated area, animal sacrifice was prohibited, cleanliness conditions attached, and the arrangement formally conveyed to civic authorities.

The minutes of the society’s Annual General Meeting of September 2019 underline this pattern. They note that the society’s four celebrated festivals are popular festivals of Maharashtra that transcend religious boundaries, and that no other religious activities should be conducted in open areas. But they explicitly permit members to keep goats during Bakri Eid in a designated covered area, at the members’ own expense, to maintain cleanliness of common spaces.

A 2023 letter from society secretary Asad Shaikh had also granted permission for a temporary shed and stated clearly that “no animal sacrifice would be allowed in the shed”.

This year, the approval was accompanied by the same guidelines. 

On May 13, the managing committee issued a communication approving the temporary shed with detailed conditions: entry and exit restricted to Gate No. 3, no slaughter inside flats or anywhere on the premises, cleanliness to be maintained, and goats barred from lobbies, lifts, podiums, gardens, and children’s play areas. The committee also formally informed Kashimira Police Station and the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation Fire Department about the arrangement, specifying it would run from May 18 to 28. Once the festival arrived, animals were to be transported to designated facilities in the Naya Nagar area for the sacrifice.

Shadab Qureshi, a resident who was closely involved in the chain of events, claimed the celebrations this year were resisted by a small set of residents who had first objected in 2023. He blamed two residents: Uma Shankar Nag and Jayesh Shrivastava.

“The issue first arose in 2023 when two residents, Uma Shankar Nag and Jayesh Shrivastava, objected to a Ramzan Mubarak banner placed near the society gate. They also raised objections to Taravi prayers that were being held in the refuge area of the E and F wings. At one point, Uma Shankar allegedly threatened to commit suicide if the prayers were not stopped in that area.”

The managing committee asked residents to shift the prayers to the terrace of the A and B wings. Similar objections were raised in 2024 and 2025, with allegations – disputed by residents – that outsiders were attending the prayers.

Then came the latest complaint on May 22. Five residents, including Nag’s wife and Jayesh Shrivastava, wrote to the managing committee demanding the immediate removal of the temporary goat shed. The letter warned of “aggressive legal and administrative action”. It characterised the arrangement as “an intolerable public nuisance, total contempt of society by-laws and flagrant misuse of power by the Managing Committee”.

The letter was copied not only to the police and municipal authorities, but also to two Hindutva organisations: Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad and Rashtriya Bajrang Dal. Newslaundry could not reach these outfits for comment.

On the ground

On May 23, MBMC officials, accompanied by police, visited the society and requested the removal of the temporary bamboo structure – citing fire-safety concerns, not the presence of the goats themselves. 

Around 60 to 70 residents then went to Kashimira police station to file a counter-complaint against Nag and Shrivastava.

The managing committee – comprising Roopa Pinto, Danish Shaikh, and Ayaz Shaikh among others – wrote to the police, noting that the five residents’ complaint, by copying Hindutva organisations, had “created apprehension of unnecessary tension and possible disturbance of peace within the society premises during the festival period”. They requested assistance in maintaining order.

On May 24, the festival was in the news with Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane’s suggestion on May 24 to the Muslim community to carry out a virtual sacrifice, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya’s visit to the area and his campaign to stop animal sacrifice in residential complexes, and the opposition’s reactions to these developments.

What added to all this was the situation in Poonam Cluster 1.

On May 25, MBMC officials returned and ordered the removal of the bamboo structure on grounds that no NOC had been issued. The structure came down. Residents then moved the goats to a privately owned parking area.

Bharat Sonare, the MBMC official who supervised the removal of the structure, said, “We removed it directly without any notice as it was illegal.” Asked about the managing committee’s permission and letter to the civic agency, Sonare said, “Yes, the society gave the permission. But to construct it, they need to have permission from the MBMC.”

That afternoon, a meeting was held between representatives of both sides and local MLA Syed Muzaffar Husain. An agreement was reached: with only two days left before Eid-ul-Adha, the goats would be allowed to remain until the festival.

“I attended the meeting as well, and both sides agreed that since only two days were left before Eid-ul-Adha, the goats should be allowed to remain in the society until the festival,” Qureshi said. “However, later that evening, around 8 pm, when I returned to the building, I saw a crowd gathering outside our society gate. Police personnel were already present inside the society. I asked them why the crowd was not being dispersed. One police officer told me that they could not take any action because the people were standing on a public road and anyone had the right to stand there.”

Asked about this, Inspector Rajendra Kamble of Kashimira police station said, “We didn’t disperse the crowd as our job was to make sure that the law and order situation does not get disturbed. We told them that they should not indulge in such demonstrations and if there is anything wrong then authorities will take action accordingly. A FIR was also filed but we didn’t detain or arrest anyone. Our priority was to maintain law and order.”

The next day, the society was across television screens. 

Hindutva activists brought a pig to the gates and reportedly attempted to push it inside. Police intervened. Eventually, MBMC officials removed approximately 45 to 50 goats and shifted them to a designated municipal facility.

The other side

Newslaundry reached Uma Shankar Nag for his account. He maintained that animal sacrifice had taken place inside the society. “Qurbani used to happen, it really used to happen there. The committee gave only acknowledgement, and there was no approval from the municipal corporation.”

He added that, despite his objections, he had agreed at the MLA’s meeting to allow the goats to remain given the proximity to the festival. He alleged that someone from the Muslim residents’ side later attacked a friend of his outside the society, after which the protest crowd gathered and the situation escalated. When asked if he could connect Newslaundry to his friend, he said he would do so later.

Asked about the allegations, Jayesh Shrivastava said, “I was not there. I am not aware of anything. It was a society matter. Everything is sorted now.  Don’t write any story about it. I don't want to talk about it.”

Roopa Pinto, chairperson of the managing committee, pointed to “attempts by a few individuals to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of our society”. 

“First of all, no Qurbani has ever taken place within our society premises. As for the temporary sheds, they were approved and permitted by the Managing Committee for a limited period and subject to specific conditions. Ours is a cosmopolitan society. It was decided at the Annual General Meeting that residents from all communities have the right to celebrate their festivals, and that we should continue to live together in a spirit of mutual respect and participation.”

What the media showed

On India Today, the anchor asked furiously, “Why should some think that it’s okay to slaughter an animal in a housing society?...And then does it smack of hypocrisy when people complain that they are being othered. That they are not being given houses on rent.”

On India TV, the anchor said Hindu residents objected but Muslims did not agree. “Kuch logon ne society mein bakre jama karliye jabki prashaasan ne qurbani ki jagah tay ki hui hai…Hindu parivaaron ne iska virodh kiya, toh Muslim parivaar nahin maane.” (Some people brought goats into a society though the administration has designated spots for sacrifice…When Hindu families objected, Muslim families did not agree.) 

On Times Now, the anchor said it was not about religion but “one basic truth”. “No religion can be above the rule of law.” The ticker said “housing complex or offering site?”

On Republic Bharat, the anchor said, “Campus mein bakre abhi bhi rakhe hue hain jisse vivaad ki sthiti bani hui hai (the dispute still exists as goats are still on premises).”

The media lashed out at the Hindutva protests as much, but residents say few bothered to understand the facts.

Rehana Bastiwala, a former BBC journalist who has lived in Poonam Cluster since 2020, said the media coverage was “extremely disappointing”.

“I have been a journalist for more than 30 years, and the way sections of the media reported this incident was extremely disappointing. Allegations were repeated without proper verification and without making an effort to understand the facts.”

Phone calls to Durgesh Jaiswal, the Bajrang Dal’s Mira-Bhayandar unit president who was seen on camera carrying a pig outside the society, remained unanswered. A questionnaire has been sent to him. Questions were also sent to BJP’s Somaiyya. This report will be updated if a response is received.

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