Mira Road Housing Society Tensions Escalate Over Bakrid Goats, Leading to Protests and Police Intervention

Tensions rose in Mira Road near Mumbai after a video showing a policeman running away with a pig went viral on Tuesday, amid a dispute over goats kept inside the Poonam Cluster housing society ahead of Bakrid. The controversy began when residents objected to about 40 to 50 goats being housed inside the residential complex for ritual sacrifice during Eid celebrations. The issue quickly escalated into a communal flashpoint, with videos of heated exchanges between members of both communities spreading on social media on Monday evening.

According to local reports, the confrontation left one person injured. By Tuesday afternoon, the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation removed the goats from the society premises using three pickup trucks and shifted them to a designated location allocated by the civic body. Authorities also deployed a heavy police force from the Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar unit to maintain order and prevent any further violence in the area.

Residents said animal sacrifice should take place only at officially designated sites and not inside housing societies. In response to the tensions, a group gathered outside the society and recited the Hanuman Chalisa. Visuals from the scene also showed members of some Hindu groups carrying pigs near the protest site as a form of protest, adding to the already volatile atmosphere.

Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya visited Mira Road and called for a ban on animal sacrifice inside housing society premises. He said such activities should be limited to designated spaces and argued that enforcing the rules was the responsibility of the municipal corporation. Somaiya also referred to a recent incident in Mira Road last month, in which two security guards were allegedly stabbed following religious profiling by the accused, Zaib Ansari.

Local BJP MLA Narendra Mehta said all communities should be allowed to celebrate their festivals without disturbing others. He alleged that the goats had been kept “illegally” inside the Poonam Cluster society for the past two days, which triggered objections from residents. Mehta said members of the society had repeatedly asked for the animals to be removed, but the situation worsened on Monday night. He added that many residents were upset that the authorities did not step in earlier.

The incident has drawn attention to the handling of religious practices in residential areas and the need for stricter enforcement of municipal rules to avoid communal tensions. Police and civic officials remained on alert as the situation developed in Mira Road, where both communities accused each other of provoking the dispute.