Parsi Punchayet senior executive quits in frustration

Bombay Parsi Punchayet’s (BPP) senior executive B officer Cawas Panthaki resigned from his position recently and is currently serving a three-month notice. According to sources in the Punchayet, Panthaki was embittered because he was trapped between two combative factions of the trust.

Article by Jyoti Shelar | Mumbai Mirror

He refused to offer a comment for this article, but in an interview to a community magazine Jam-eJamshed, Panthaki had said, “I was caught in the crossfire between the two groups of trustees. It had become difficult for me to work.“

BPP is among Mumbai’s oldest and wealthiest trusts. It is run by seven members, including the chairman Dinshaw Mehta. The trustees split into two blocs in November 2013, over Mehta’s alleged financial misdoings. One group proclaimed allegiance to the chairman and the other was opposed to him. Till that time, Mehta’s was the dominant camp ­ it comprised the trustees Arnavaz Mistry, Muncher Cama and Armaity Tirandaz.

The other group was composed of Yazdi Desai, Jimmy Mistry and Khojeste Mistry. “It was when Arnavaz Mistry, along with three other trustees, filed a police complaint against Mehta for financial impropriety that the problems began,“ said Yazdi Desai.

“Mehta, being reduced to a minority, began yelling and shouting opposing all decisions of the majority.Friction occurs when his loyalists do not accept the decision of the majority and pressure and bully the administration to do as they instruct them to and not what is passed by the majority.“

When contacted, Mehta said that it was true Panthaki was trapped between the slings and arrows directed by one camp against the other. “All the trustees are now requesting him to withdraw his resignation and continue to work,“ said Mehta.