The Raj Thackeray-led MNS leaders gifted poultry birds to officials of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation's (NMC) Laxmi Nagar Zone accusing them of shielding an illegal chicken and mutton market operating in the Sahakar Nagar area for over a year. According to a TOI report, the MNS delegation, led by state general secretary Hemant Gadkari and city vice-president Tushar Girhe, stormed the zonal office and handed over the live chickens to assistant commissioner Satish Chaudhari, in a symbolic protest.
Residents of Sahakar Nagar have repeatedly complained about the unlicensed meat stalls, citing an unbearable stench, stray dog menace, and a rise in road accidents. In a recent incident, a woman lost her life in a road accident, which locals claim occurred due to the chaos around the market.Despite multiple complaints and written appeals, NMC failed to act, the MNS alleged. To escalate the protest, the party also warned of setting up a mock illegal meat market right outside the zone office.Before presenting the chickens, the MNS team demanded details about the vendors and questioned why the NMC had not documented or acted against them.
Shaken by the unusual protest, Chaudhari reportedly assured the delegation that the illegal market would be removed at the earliest.Notably, the unauthorised market has also become a magnet for birds. Given its proximity to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) has repeatedly asked the NMC to relocate the market due to the risk of bird strikes.Prominent MNS leaders present during the protest included Sachin Dhote, Roshni Khobragade, Harshal Dasare, Priya Borkute, Gunjan Pangul, Kundatai Mankar, Chetan Shiralkar, Ramoji Khobragade, and Ajinkya Mishra, among others.