Parsi body chairman files plaint to stop circulation of newsletter

The chairman of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) Trust filed a complaint with the Malabar Hill police on Saturday to stop the circulation of the newsletter, Parsi Junction, in its housing colonies.

The BPP, which is the biggest representative body of the Parsi-Zoroastrian community, has termed the circulation “illegal”. The move comes after Parsi Junction published reports on alleged corruption in property deals linked to the BPP.

Last week, the BPP decided to ban the newsletter in its colonies from Sunday onwards, alleging that it was publishing “defamatory stories.”

The trust manages around 5,500 flats in community housing estates across the city, apart from fire temples, the Tower of Silence, commercial properties and land, making it one of the biggest land-owners in the city.

The complaint, a copy of which is with HT, stated that the newsletter contained misinformation, lies and defamatory articles. The letter also called for police intervention in the matter.

HT spoke to Yazdi Desai, BPP chairperson, on the issue. “The newsletter is not registered and is being distributed in Parsi colonies without the BPP’s consent. In such a scenario, I as the landlord of the colonies, have the right to approach the police and stop the letter from being distributed in the colonies managed by the BPP,” said Desai.

Desai added that he resorted to filling the complaint because some people had threatened to “create mischief” at Godrej Baug, a BPP-managed housing colony in Kemps Corner, if the circulation is affected.

After the alleged threat, some residents from the colony reported that the newsletter was not circulated at Godrej Baug. Residents also said they had spotted police in the colony. “It was only in Godrej Baug that the circulation didn’t take place. I was told that some people forcibly distributed the newsletter at a colony in Mahim,” said Desai.

The newsletter’s editor, Parvez Driver, said he had not received a copy of the complaint until Sunday. “We are looking into the matter, but have managed to distribute the copies of the newsletter in all the colonies. It was only in Godrej Baug that the circulation was delayed. But we managed to distribute the copies there by evening,” said Driver.

A senior police officer from the Malabar Hill police station has confirmed about receiving the complaint from BPP and said both the parties will be called to the police station today.

“The BPP said the newsletter contained defamatory information. We have accepted the application filed by their chairman, and have called both the parties on Monday to understand the issue better,” the officer said on the condition of anonymity.

Parsi Junction currently has a circulation of around 5,000 across the city. The ban has triggered criticism from the readers of the newsletter. Members had termed the ban an “attack on the freedom of the press” and pointed out that many community magazines and newsletters were being made available in colonies and religious places.

First Published: Apr 08, 2019 09:17 IST