Days before Eid Ul Adha, communal tensions flared at a Mira Road housing complex after objections were raised to goats being brought into the society premises for qurbani, forcing police deployment and intervention by the local administration. The controversy has once again brought focus on a recurring question in Mumbai every Eid-al-Adha: where is animal slaughter legally permitted, and can housing societies allow qurbani within their premises? The Indian Express explains the rules governing where religious animal slaughter can take place in Mumbai.Under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s rules, animal slaughter during Bakri Eid cannot take place freely at any location and requires prior civic permission. Every year ahead of Eid-al-Adha, the BMC identifies and notifies designated locations where qurbani can legally be carried out, while also laying down conditions related to hygiene, waste disposal and public safety.Broadly, permissions are granted only at authorised facilities such as the Deonar Abattoir, licensed meat markets, notified community slaughter spaces and, in some cases, select private premises or housing society compounds that receive approval from the civic body.The BMC also operates an online permission system through the MyBMC app, where applicants seeking temporary Bakri Eid slaughter permissions are required to submit details of the proposed location and comply with civic conditions. Permissions are typically granted subject to factors such as sanitation arrangements, availability of enclosed spaces, and whether an authorised slaughter facility already exists nearby.Q) How many authorised locations has the BMC identified this year?For Bakri Eid 2026, the BMC has said it has granted permission for animal slaughter at 109 designated locations across Mumbai. These include authorised community slaughter spaces and approved sites spread across different civic wards.The civic body has asked citizens seeking temporary Bakri Eid permissions to apply online through the MyBMC mobile application within the notified period. As part of the process, applicants are required to provide details of the proposed location and comply with the civic body’s sanitation and regulatory conditions.Story continues below this adThe BMC has also clarified that buffalo slaughter will be permitted only at the Deonar Abattoir, which remains Mumbai’s primary authorised slaughter facility for large animals.Q) Can animal slaughter take place inside housing societies?This remains the most contentious aspect of the BMC’s Bakri Eid permission policy and has repeatedly led to disputes between residents, housing societies, political groups and civic authorities.In a significant 2019 interim order, the Bombay High Court restrained the BMC from granting permission for animal slaughter inside individual residential flats, observing that such practices raised concerns related to hygiene, sanitation and public health.At the same time, the court did not impose a complete ban on qurbani within cooperative housing societies or community premises. Instead, it said permissions should ordinarily not be granted if an authorised slaughter facility or designated community slaughter space is available within a “reasonable one-kilometre walking distance” from the society.Story continues below this adThe HC order effectively drew a distinction between slaughter inside private homes which is barred and slaughter in designated common or community spaces within societies, which may still be permitted subject to civic approval and compliance with prescribed conditions.Q) What conditions have to be met if a housing society seeks permission?The BMC requires applicants seeking temporary Bakri Eid slaughter permission to apply through the MyBMC portal or mobile application and submit details of the proposed site. Applicants are generally asked to upload identity documents, specify the exact location where qurbani is proposed, and comply with sanitation and waste disposal norms laid down by the civic body.In cases where the slaughter is proposed within a housing society or residential complex, applicants may also be required to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the society management.Story continues below this adThe civic policy further mandates that slaughter should take place only in enclosed or controlled spaces and should not create any public nuisance. Proper disposal of blood, animal remains and waste is compulsory, while activities that obstruct public movement or violate public health and animal transport regulations are not permitted.Q) Why has the issue become politically contentious this year?Ahead of Bakri Eid 2026, the issue of animal slaughter and the housing of goats inside residential societies has triggered protests and political mobilisation in several parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.The controversy intensified after former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya met Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde and demanded that the BMC impose a blanket ban on animal sacrifice inside housing societies, residential complexes and chawls.Story continues below this adOn Tuesday visiting the protest site at Mira Road, Somaiya alleged, “Goats are deliberately being brought into Hindu-majority localities to create an atmosphere of fear among vegetarian and Jain families. If anyone uses a religious occasion to spread hatred, it will not be tolerated.”