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While some fire temple trustees make fervid pleas and offer attractive packages to lure priests, others have a hard time getting rid of the ones they have. The Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman, Mhow has been at loggerheads with their priest, Ervad Bomi Karanjia, who refuses to leave despite being served a termination notice 19 months ago and even offered an incentive to quit! 
The contentious matter became public knowledge when a message purportedly written by Karanjia’s daughter Afrin was circulated via WhatsApp to "Navroze” and "Save Udwada” groups on or about August 20, 2016. Claiming "persecution of the boiwalla mobed who have (sic) served the agiary for 16 long years,” she notes that her father had performed his duties "without taking a single day off even though my mother had to be operated or there was a death in the family out of town.” According to Afrin, her father was sacked "due to some fights between the trustees over sale of trust property.”
However, as per the clarification issued by Anjuman honorary secretary Zal Cowasji who describes the allegations as "baseless and malicious,” there have been "numerous instances of misconduct, non-performance of duties, etc” by 56-year-old Bomi as recorded in the minutes of the managing committee since 2003. Besides routine fights which he and his 50-year-old wife Kamal reportedly had with Anjuman employees and office bearers, he has been faulted for allegedly taking unauthorized electric connections, unauthorized absence from the agiary, unauthorized keeping of a dog and parking of cars in the agiary compound, accusing staff and trustees of performing black magic against him, public declaration that they would pray for the early demise of everyone present at the general body meeting in January 2015.
In December 2014 the managing committee had unanimously decided to terminate his services and look for a replacement. On receiving two legal notices from Bomi the following month, the Anjuman served him a termination notice on February 12, 2015. The same day he filed a complaint with the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mhow who "dismissed the matter as inadmissible.” Three days later when some senior Anjuman members tried to convince him to quit, "he vehemently told them that he would not leave the agiary and he would also not allow anyone else to come here. He also threatened that he would commit suicide for which the trustees would be held responsible,” according to a brief chronology of the priest’s performance and conduct sent as a clarification by Cowasji at Parsiana’s behest.

 

 

 

 

 

The Anjuman trustees sought to bring about a rapprochement with the intervention of Dastur Khurshed Dastoor of Udvada and erstwhile honorary secretary of the Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI), Khojeste Mistree in March 2015. "Instead of giving them the honor that their positions demanded,” Kamal filed a complaint with the police of Bomi being kidnapped. "It was the most embarrassing and demeaning situation…” regretted Cowasji. "Can you see me kidnapping anyone??” asked Mistree in his response to Afrin’s "garbled” story "with an aim to mislead the reader. The priest was thrown out as the majority of the Zoroastrians living in Mhow were fed up with the priest as well as his cantankerous wife.”
When Bomi sought a stay on his termination notice in April 2015, the judge advised mediation for a compromise solution. The Anjuman offered ex-gratia six months’ salary, transfer to another job, postgraduation education for his two daughters, cost of logistical movement of transfer, etc. But when mediation failed after four dates, his application was reportedly dismissed by the 2nd Additional District Judge Court, Mhow. Likewise his complaints in the Mhow Police Station and Sub Divisional Magistrate claiming harassment for electricity being cut off were once again said to be disposed of.
Afrin stated, "My father has not even been paid fully for the work he did before Ervad (Tehemton) Gowadia…who was a manager of Bhabha Sanatorium, Bandra… took over. My family is not permitted to enter the agiary any longer. The trustees started demanding a rent of Rs 500 per day from us and continue to harass us by putting a lock on the garden tap when the water comes (we do not get running water in the house), maintaining the electric fittings in such a manner that there is a danger of fire and to prevent the same the electricity is cut off — even when I have exams. They now also want us to pay the huge electricity bills that are due to the faulty Anjuman meter.”
As compared to her father who earned Rs 18,000 for looking after the agiary and the dakhma, Gowadia reportedly draws Rs 50,000 plus perks and does not have the dakhma responsibility, alleges Afrin. Cowasji though mentions that once Gowadia was appointed, Kamal tried to besmirch the new priest’s reputation with "malicious and false propaganda” on Facebook in October 2015 "so that he would want to leave under pressure.” When they failed in that attempt, Bomi filed an application in the court (where his termination case is sub judice) against Gowadia.
Insinuating financial impropriety among the trustees, Afrin declares, "My entire family has been removed from membership of the Anjuman. Even other members who have complained about the behavior of the trustees have been suspended from membership of the Anjuman. When threats did not work, bribes were offered but my parents asked them that if they were ready to pay 10 lakhs as a bribe to us, what amount are the trustees gaining? They are only interested in selling the trust property and gaining personally in the process…
"Our family has been threatened, harassed and abused especially by the following members who continue calling themselves trustees of the Anjuman and making decisions and expenses from the Trust accounts without having been validly elected as per court orders: president Cyrus Muncherji, and his wife Shernaz, Cowasji, vice president Jamshed Appoo and managing committee members        (FPZAI vice president) Tehmton Anklesaria, Bobby (Vispi) Masalawalla, Jehangir Masalawalla, Noshir Kamdin, Divya Cowasji and (FPZAI honorary secretary) Farrokh Rustomji… (Mhow being among the first anjumans to have signed a custodianship agreement with the Federation, two representatives of the Federation are deputed on the Mhow managing committee.) Such people should be removed and punished, otherwise the situation might even get worse in future times.”
This is not the first time that Bomi has allegedly litigated with the anjuman that has hired his services. Before working for the Mhow Anjuman, he was at Ahmednagar and Bilimora. At both these places his services were terminated by the anjuman and he had to be forcibly evicted, alleged Cowasji.
When Parsiana asked Bomi for his photograph, Afrin responded, "We request you not to publish our photograph.”
Speaking in favor of the key office bearers, Appoo wrote to Parsiana, "Cowasji and Muncherji come from very, very respectable Parsi families and they are doing a fantastic job in Mhow. They were wanting to step down because of all these hassles. I have persuaded them to stay as otherwise the Mhow Anjuman will collapse.”