A well known New Zealand based leader, Kantilal Bhagabhai Patel has been sacked from the membership of the Wellington Justice of Peace Association after some of his social media post deemed anti-Muslim. This comes in the wake of several Indian expats facing action for their Islamophobic remark in Arab and European nations.
She further added, “Wellington Justices of the Peace Association has referred the matter to the national body representing Justices of the Peace and asked them to consult with the Ministry of Justice.”
Ms Clark was replying to a query by this newspaper on the authenticity of an email she had sent to one of the complainants against Mr Patel, which was posted on a Facebook group. To which she noted, “The email as posted is authentic.”
“We have completed our investigation and have concluded that these posts were not consistent with the standards expected of a Justice of the Peace. Mr Patel has been advised of that and the consequences for him. We are in the process of dealing with that. As you will appreciate not all the usual government systems are working at this time. Justices of the Peace are appointed through a government process and to cancel that appointment is also a government process. So in the meantime I hope you are willing to accept the apologises of the Wellington Justices of the Peace Association for the actions of this now former member of our Association,” she added.
Notably, Mr Patel, who was awarded the Queen Service Medal (QSM) in 2004 and Pride of India Award in 2005, is a former General Secretary of Auckland Indian Association and past Assistant Secretary of the Wellington Indian Association.