Bohris shocked by drink driving case

Nooria Haveliwala’s drink-driving stint on Saturday has left the city’s Dawoodi Bohra community shaken.

Nooria Haveliwala’s drink-driving stint on Saturday has left the city’s Dawoodi Bohra community shaken.

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Two days after Haveliwala, a beautician and a Bohri Muslim, drove her car into six people at Marine Drive killing two of them, the community expressed shock.

The Bohris, a small but prominent Muslim sect in the city, have always kept a low profile. To see a member of their community making news in this manner came as a startling surprise. “A Bohri featured on the front page of the newspapers would have been a matter of pride. But now one of us is making headlines for all the wrong reasons,” said a 72-year-old homemaker who did not wish to be named.

Though the Bohris are known for their progressive attitude, consuming alcohol is frowned upon. “A Bohri caught in a case of drunken driving – she has flouted both religious and criminal laws,” said Zainul Abedeen Kadwalwala, 65, a businessman from Mohammed Ali Road.

The death of two people in the accident has also saddened the community. “We are a peace-loving, mild-mannered community,” said homemaker Munira Lakdawala (38) expressing surprise that an educated girl could be so careless. “Her actions have affected the lives of so many innocent people. She should be punished severely even if it would taint the community.”