Eid sacrifice curbs spark fury: Tensions rock Maharashtra’s Kalyan

Kalyan/Maharashtra: Police imposed strict restrictions on animal sacrifice in several residential societies in Kalyan during Eid al-Adha, triggering outrage among Muslim residents who accused authorities of interfering with long-standing religious practices under pressure from communal objections raised by some Hindu residents. Security personnel were deployed at the entrances of multiple housing societies, including in the Patripool area, while barricades were erected and access was restricted to residents.

Many Muslim families said they returned from Eid prayers to find heavy police deployment and sudden restrictions on animal sacrifice, despite claiming the ritual had been conducted peacefully in the same locations for years. Residents alleged that notices from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation and local police were issued only a day before Eid and lacked clarity. Several accused authorities of effectively criminalising a religious practice protected under constitutional rights.

Residents also argued that the designated slaughter facilities were grossly inadequate for the area’s large Muslim population, claiming the limited infrastructure made it impossible to complete sacrifices within the short religiously prescribed period. Some described the restrictions as discriminatory and accused authorities of suppressing the community’s religious freedoms.

Tensions escalated further in a separate controversy at the historic Durgadi Fort complex, where police temporarily restricted access to a temple located near a mosque during Eid prayers. The move sparked protests by workers of both Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT), who demanded uninterrupted temple access. BJP corporator Mahesh Patil was detained following the protests.

After prayers concluded, Hindu groups gathered near the site to recite the Hanuman Chalisa, while some Muslim residents raised slogans, prompting a massive police deployment to prevent clashes. The Durgadi Fort dispute has remained politically sensitive for decades and is closely linked to late Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe and his 1986 agitation over similar restrictions.