A 40-year-old woman residing in south Mumbai has been charged by the Gamdevi police for allegedly feeding meat to stray animals in the vicinity of the Mahalaxmi temple. She faces accusations of desecrating the place of worship and offending the religious sentiments of nearby residents.
After receiving multiple complaints from local residents, a committee comprising two veterinary officers from the BMC and two police officers was established. The woman in question was cautioned against feeding meat to stray animals but purportedly failed to comply with the directive. Subsequently, a police complaint was filed against her. She has been charged under severe sections of the law, including those pertaining to the damage and defilement of a place of worship, disturbance of public peace, and criminal intimidation.
According to a report of Indian Express, Confirming the development, a senior police officer said, We have not arrested the woman as yet. We are probing the matter as the complainant has alleged that she would purposely feed meat to stray animals on the roads, where devotees would queue up for darshan of Mahalaxmi and Dhakleshwar temple.
As per the police statement, the case was filed based on a complaint lodged by social worker Sheela Shah against two individuals identified as Nandini Belekar and Pallavi Patil. They have been charged under sections 295 (Injuring or defiling a place of worship with the intent to insult the religion of any community), 295 (A) (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting religious beliefs), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace), and 506 (Criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
Belekar has been charged for purportedly discarding meat on the streets close to the Mahalaxmi temple, allegedly with the aim of offending religious sensibilities. On the other hand, Patil stands accused of verbally abusing and intimidating both the complainant and other residents in the vicinity. According to the 62-year-old complainant, who has cited numerous temples in the area, including the Mahalaxmi temple, Belekar has identified herself as an animal enthusiast and has been feeding mutton, chicken, and fish to cats and dogs on the streets since the beginning of 2022.
There are devotees who go to the temple barefoot. They would often find pieces of meat on the road due to which the whole area around Mahalaxmi temple would get impure. We even asked Belekar to feed stray animals at one location. Despite repeatedly telling her to feed the cats and dogs at one place, she would go throwing pieces of fish and chicken on the road near the temple area, said Shah in her statement to police.