For a free Press

"It is for the very first time in their history of 173 years that the management of Jam-e-Jamshed has found it to be necessary and important to write an editorial... In this instance, the manage­ment has taken up the cudgels on behalf of their Editor who is at present beleaguered by forces that have not taken kindly to him for having brought to the attention of its readers and members of the Parsi community various acts of omission and commission that have been perpetrated on an unsuspecting community,” noted a statement titled "Community Leaders Or Perpetrators Of Injustice?” carried in the weekly of February 20, 2005.

In defence of the Jamé editor Rusi Dhondy the declaration continued, "Let it be known that the management of Jam-e-Jamshed will stand by their Editor and support him in performing his duty without fear or favor. We shall not restrain our Editor in sup­porting those who are the victims of injustice. We shall not restrain our Editor out of fear of the perpetrators of injustice upon the Parsi community.”

Implicating some of the "commercial minded trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet as well as certain self-professed religious scholars, bigots and fanatics,” the management state­ment referred to the pressure being brought on them to dispense with the services of the Editor who had become "a thorn in their side.”

When neither the management nor the Editor showed signs of cowing down, "these people collaborated with our Editor’s creditors who let loose their hatchet men upon our Editor and had him roughed up. Not satisfied, they have contrived to bring trumped-up charges of molestation...These perpetrators of injus­tice upon the community have also unleashed a slander campaign in various Parsi enclaves and firms employing Parsis, giving a clever twist to the personal financial distress of our Editor,” reported the management, acknowledging that the Editor’s "experi­ence in investments and finance is not on par with his acumen as a journalist.”

Daring the critics to "do your worst, for we know that truth is with us,” the management declared, "The earlier these persons realize that it is not possible to stifle a free Press or to ride roughshod over people all the time, it will be better for them.”