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Mumbai: A controversy has erupted in the Vagad Jain community after a female member filed a police complaint against its office bearers of outraging her modesty. A first of its kind instance of a woman member raising such serious allegations against the office bearers has shook the Jain sub-community.
The Jain community has become an integral part of Mumbai through their long standing history of business excellence and life principles without any controversy. However, a recent police complaint against the office bearers of the Vagad Visha Oswal Chovisi Jain community has come up as a dark chapter in the history of the Jain sub-community. The controversy has split-up the community after a woman member has accused the president and secretary of defaming and outraging her modesty.
According to the first information report (FIR) filed on May 25 at Andheri police station, the community’s secretary Champak Nandu had accused a woman member of spoiling the community’s event on May 5 as she wore a salwar kameez instead of a saree. The complainant also alleged that she was called cheap-looking by the secretary which outraged her modesty as a woman.
Following the conversation, the issue was discussed in the complainant’s presence at a community meeting, where the president Nagji Rita and secretary Arvind Savla allegedly asked her whether Nandu had demanded for any physical favours from the complainant. The complainant found the questions offensive and left the meeting after which the president and secretary called one of her friends and enquired about her character along with demanding evidence against her.
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According to another FIR filed on Wednesday at Dindoshi police station, Rita had threatened her about publishing an article in the community magazine to defame her and defamatory messages were circulated about her in the community’s WhatsApp group. The series of events has been the centre point of discussion in the community and the controversy has left the community split in two groups of the supporters and opposers of the office bearers.
Meanwhile, before the second FIR was filed, the community had organised a disciplinary meeting in June to discuss the allegations raised against the president and secretaries. Following the meeting, an advertisement was published by the committee in the community magazine announcing that they will discontinue community benefits to those who raise allegations against the office bearers.
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Talking to The Free Press Journal, the complainant said, “For the first time in the history of Vagad Chovisi, a woman had to initiate a legal action against the community’s office bearers for such a shameful deed. They are trying to pressurise me to withdraw my complaint and even threatening to expel me from the community. Our community has over 20 thousand female members, I do not want this incident to be repeated with them in the future.”
