Close to 2000 Muslim women were "threatened to be ostracized from the Dawoodi Bohra community" and thronged a mosque to protest against the trust's decision to charge annual fees amounting to thousands of rupees to offer prayers or be removed from the sect in Dahod district of Gujarat here on Sunday.
The incident occurred at the Saify masjid in Dahod town when 2000-odd Muslim women gheraoed the premises and demanded a respite from this order from the masjid management.
Police had to rush to the spot to ensure that the incident did not worsen and managed to disperse the crowd.
"The Masjid Tanzim committee issued a circular saying that if women wanted to come and offer namaz in the mosque then they must pay annual fees and had announced separate packages of Rs 5200, Rs 7200 and Rs 9200. Since when has a devotee to pay to offer prayers at a mosque?", Zajar Kasidwala, a local who led the women to protest told PTI over phone.
He said the masjid committee also said those who could not pay for the upkeep of the mosque would not be able to enter and offer prayers and the circular was also distributed among the community.
Kasdiwala said after they left the masjid premises, one of its office bearers Najmuddin Gangdiwala confronted him and threatened to kill him if he did not dismantle the protest and concede with the trust's demands.
Gangdiwala was unavailable for comment in spite of repeat attempts.
He said he would file a police complaint against the trust and Gangdiwala and provide signatures of all the women who were part of the "religious protest".