Spurred by the desire to gain social media clout, a group of youngsters recently illegally entered Aarey Milk Colony’s defunct Teaching Dairy, also known locally as the Dairy Science Institute, in the dead of night, and filmed themselves rummaging through documents and vintage photos, among other things. Such acts are not only unlawful but also dangerous, as many abandoned structures in Aarey are haunts of leopards and snakes.
A video capturing the group’s actions was posted on an Instagram account, ankiittt._____, on September 4, garnering 1.8 million views. In it, youngsters could be seen arriving on the premises on bikes, lifting the shutter of the Dairy Science Institute, climbing a staircase inside the building and entering a room that appears to be a lab, and opening a refrigerator.
Many digital content creators narrate ghost stories set in Aarey Milk Colony to get views and likes on Instagram and other platforms, and over the years, such videos have only increased, with many young people visiting the area late at night on weekends to shoot footage.
The defunct Teaching Dairy, also known as the Dairy Science Institute, at Aarey Milk Colony in Goregaon East. Pic/Ranjeet Jadhav
Wildlife enthusiast Kaushal Dubey said, “There is a new trend where youngsters arrive on bikes at Aarey Milk Colony late at night on weekends to make videos and reels. These people are illegally venturing into closed government facilities and even forest patches. I have seen a video where a few youngsters entered the Dairy Science Institute, which has been shut for many years. Shockingly, they went through government documents and archival pictures. I hope the Aarey security officer and chief executive officer take note of this and act against those seen in the video.” There are many offices of the Aarey milk brand in the colony, which are either closed or severely dilapidated.
The Teaching Dairy
The dairy development board established the UNICEF-aided Teaching Dairy, where students of agriculture could get diplomas in dairy technology. According to news reports, in 1954, UNICEF is said to have signed an agreement with the government of India to fund the Aarey and Anand milk processing plants. As per the agreement, in return, free and subsidised milk would be provided to needy children in the area.
