Mr Shakir Hasanali Vohra from Dhrangadhra (Gujarat) had threatened to commit suicide on 8th January and has held the local Amil responsible for the same as the Amil refused to perform Nikah of his nephew. A letter to this effect was sent to the offices of Zilla Collector, Zilla Police officer and Collector.
It so happened that Mr.Shakir who is not financially sound was asked to pay an exhorbitant amount of Sabil dues amounting to Rs.20,000/- and which was calculated @ Rs.280/- instead of the earlier rate of Rs.45/-, an increase of almost 7 times. No sooner Mr. Shakir's letter reached the government officials, the local amil immediately sent an SOS to Kothar headquarters which used its influence and got him arrested on the order of an executive magistrate who remanded him to police custody till 14th January. His relatives then approached Zehraben Cyclewala who is a well known figure in the reformist group of Bohras and who yields considerable influence in the police circles due to her constant legal confrontations with the bohra clergy. Zehraben immediately came to his rescue and called up the concerned executive magistrate and told him to release Shakir immediately as the arrest itself was illegal due to which the magistrate could face legal repercussions if a case was filed against him. Sensing trouble, the officers released Shakir who is now contemplating further action against kothar. Needless to say that the Amil fled the town no sooner the matter gathered momentum.
There is every likelihood that Kothar will now perform the nikah without any payment as the amount involved is a pittance as compared to the millions that the Dai collects on a daily basis from his abdes.