Allegations unacceptable

October 5, 2008

Dear Mr Shroff

As chairman of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) it was your duty to ensure that the most keenly awaited election in the history of the BPP would run its course smoothly. But the ensuing mess that occurred on Saturday, October 4, 2008 is a sad reflection on the ineptitude of you the trustees and the election president appointed by you. Moreover, your unwillingness to allay the fears perceived or otherwise of the candidates standing, with regard to the appointment of the aged election president, Rustom Hormuzdiyar, has left a blot on your chairmanship and on this historic election. You were unwilling to address the concerns raised and not even a modicum of assurance was given to allay the fears of possible bipartisan behavior by the appointed president. The number of electoral malpractices that went unaddressed is the sole responsibility of you the trustees and the man you were determined to appoint as the election president.

In the terrible atmosphere of rough and crude behavior, fights and intimidatory tactics that vitiated the ambiance, my daughter Tashan Mistree, who was standing on a chair taking a video recording of a fight that had broken out, was forcibly grabbed by the arm by one Mr Zeree Jehangirji, an AFP-AZA (Adult Franchise for Progress — Alert Zoroastrians Association) co-founder [see Parsiana 7/9/08, pg 32 in which it is stated "(Zeree) Jehangirji who is also an AFP founder member told the gathering…”] showing the undeniable AFP-AZA connection. Mr Zeree Jehangirji came from behind her and physically manhandled her. My daughter suffered injuries in her back and was trembling with pain and fear. Furthermore, my daughter was shocked that someone had the audacity to manhandle her or for that matter any lady in public.

(From left): Firoza Punthakey Mistree; Tashan Mistree; BPP chairman Minoo Shroff

I believe my daughter was viciously targeted because she had earlier caught on film, certain electoral malpractices and this was a crude attempt to rough her up and manhandle her. There was no discernable authority to exercise restraint and Mr Hormuzdiyar’s writ as president was non-existent. You as the chairman were not there to be seen at all. Surely in an election held under your dispensation your presence was essential to say the least.

When as an anguished mother, I called you up, Mr Shroff I was astounded to be told by you that I should have made my own security arrangements. Have we now sunk to this level? I was further shocked to have been told by you, the chairman of the BPP, (and I am placing this on record) and I quote, "you have aligned yourself with such people, this is to be expected.” I have absolutely no idea whom you are referring to, but I am truly appalled that you said this to me. Is this the empathy you show to the anguish of a mother whose daughter was crudely manhandled by supporters of your group, the AFP?

The underlying assumption that you have made, Mr Shroff, with this statement is that it is "expected” to rough up women if they are aligned to a group or a party or person you don’t care for. Your lack of empathy, your indifference and your callous disregard for the safety and well-being of a young girl shows you in extremely poor light.

I also approached Mr Tamboly and Mr Maneck Engineer and their indifference was palpable. I want to place on record that AZA as a group was created by Mr Maneck Engineer, during his first election, they are his supporters, his campaigners, his ex-colleagues and are the official representatives for AFP and he cannot shrug off responsibility for what happened to my daughter as he callously tried to do. Mr Maneck Engineer totally washed his hands off and said he had nothing to do with them. But the reality is that each of you gentlemen are responsible for allowing and encouraging AZA to run roughshod over everyone. Mr Tamboly’s only comment was don’t bring AFP into it, but I have in print Mr Berjis Desai, as a founder of AFP stating that he created AFP with AZA’s help.

The AZA group has shown a pattern of aggressive behavior verging on assault where women are concerned. This is not just deplorable but this behavior with women has not been seen in our community, until AZA came on the scene. They intimidated and physically pushed out two other women during the AFP meeting in Dadar. Subsequently at Khareghat Colony just before my daughter was manhandled, Mr Kersi Randeria, again of AZA-AFP forcefully grabbed and pulled another lady by the arm when an official representative reprimanded him and asked him to release the lady immediately. And now my daughter has also been manhandled. Moreover I have in my possession a page from Facebook where Mr Zeree Jehangirji’s son, Hoshang Jehangirji, has created a pro-AFP group. On this site, his son, Hoshang has used the most vile, foul and defamatory language against my daughter and my husband Khojeste P. Mistree. It was written after this incident. This site has now been wiped clean, but I am prepared to give a printout to anyone who wishes to verify what I have stated.

I want to record that we do not know Mr Jehangirji and his family, or any of the AZA members, and they had been given no cause to behave in this despicable manner. My daughter has never met this boy (Jehangirji’s son) nor spoken or written to him or had anything to do with him and it is more than apparent that AZA as a group advocates lack of respect for women for it percolates down to the next generation. I speak not only for my daughter, but for all the young girls and women in this community, and I am shocked and appalled by this unpardonable behavior, by men directly associated and canvassing for the AFP-7 panel.

Owing to the close association which you, Mr Minoo Shroff, and Mr Maneck Engineer and Mr Dinshaw Tamboly have with the AFP-AZA combine, I am afraid the buck stops at you three trustees as it does with Mr Berjis Desai and the AFP panel of seven.

When working with the community one seeks to better the best in one’s actions, but not to have tried at all, leaves the final days of your tenure in the BPP in the paleness of a shadow where good rarely gets reflected. It is even more unfortunate that the BPP has no titans, only men with an overwhelming reluctance to do the right thing.

Yours sincerely

Firoza Punthakey Mistree

October 14, 2008

Dear Mrs Mistree

I refer to your letter of October 5, 2008 received by me on October 14, 2008.

Whatever may be your or WAPIZ’s (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthosh­tis) political differences with AZA, as chairman of the BPP, I must express my anguish not only at the tone and tenor of your letter but your attempt to embroil the trustees therein.

I shall therefore, reply to your letter only to the extent that it concerns me in my capacity as chairman of the BPP. Of course, for the sake of keeping the record straight, I am not in a position to admit the correctness or otherwise of the rest of the contents of your letter.

I reiterate that Mr Rustom Hormuzdiyar was unanimously appointed by all the trustees. Mr Hormuzdiyar is acknowledged in the community as a person of impeccable integrity and having the experience of conducting these elections for the last 30 years. Your reference to Mr Hormuzdiyar’s age is, to say the least, in bad taste. This is the very first time the elections have been held on this scale. By all accounts, our staff has done a commendable job and this has been greatly appreciated and acknowledged by the large bulk of the voters.

I now refer to your cell conversation with me. I would like to refresh your memory as to the sharp tone in which you spoke. I was at Rustom Baug overseeing arrangements for elections on October 5, when you started shouting at me as to the type of unruly people I supported and kept company with. You blasted me even without mentioning what had actually happened to your daughter and of which I was completely unaware. It is then that I stated that we had made adequate security arrangements to meet any contingencies. Your implying that I asked you to make your own security arrangements is absurd.

I do not wish to go into the details of your allegations against Mr Jehangirji or your version of the incident concerning your daughter. I am under no obligation to be present all the time on all six days of the elections as the scheme clearly provides the president is in-charge of the conduct of the elections. Despite this, let me state that I have been as much involved in the entire election process as anyone else.

Your attempt to put words in my mouth is not appreciated and I do not admit the correctness of what you have attributed to me.

I deny that I have any close connections with the AFP/AZA combine as wrongly alleged by you.

You have made sweeping comments about some of my colleagues and me. May I remind you that you have never been a trustee and hence have no concept of what trusteeship entails.

Please desist, in future, from attempting to embroil the outgoing trustees in your political and election disputes, and please also exercise restraint in correspondence.

Sincerely

Minoo Shroff