The National Commission of Scheduled Castes has taken cognisance of the complaint filed by the President of SC/ST Rights Forum regarding large scale targeted conversions of Scheduled Castes in Andhra Pradesh and decided to investigate the matter.

Notably, it is for the first time the National Commission for Scheduled Castes has issued notices and taken cognisance of targeted mass conversions by the Church using all kinds of fraudulent methods.

The National Commission of Scheduled Castes sent a notice to the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh on 19.07.2021to submit facts and information within 15 days of receipt of the notice on the complaints filed by the national President of SC/ST Rights Forum, Shri K Nagarajan, on the incidence of rampant targeted conversions of Scheduled Caste people in the State of Andhra Pradesh.

The Commission had exercised its rights to investigate into complaints received by it in pursuance of the powers conferred upon it by Article 338 by the Constitution of India.

The Commission further stated that if the Chief Secretary fails to reply to it with the required information within the stipulated time, then the Commission may exercise its powers like a Civil Court conferred on it under Article 338 of the Constitution and issue summons for personal appearance or through a representative before the Commission.

Notably, the Legal Rights Protection Forum had submitted a representation to the National commission of Scheduled Castes over large scale conversions by the Church targeting people of Scheduled Castes community in Andhra Pradesh in January this year. The complaint also mentioned the rampant misuse of reservation benefits to the Sceduled Castes by the converted Christians who are advised by the Church and evangelists to deliberately supress the fact of conversion to Christianity to avail reservation benefits illegally. The letter sought the constitution of a Fact Finding Committee to look into these serious violations and remedial actions by the Commission on the matter.

Pertinently, in many rural areas of Andhra Pradesh, the Church has been planting churches in villages even where there are negligible Christians by illegally constructing Church buildings on common Gram Sabha land meant for cattle grazing and other common facilities. When the local Hindu villagers complain they are threatened by Christian Pastors to slap false cases of SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act on the protestors. The evangelist missionaries use converted Scheduled Caste Christians to convert more Hindus. These converted Christians fraudulently continue to draw government benefits and reservations meant for the social and educational upliftment of marginalised Hindu Scheduled Castes.

There are many dubious Pastors who boast openly on camera to have made around 700 exclusive Christ Villages in Andhra by converting entire village to Christianity with the aid of foreign funds. These nefarious evangelist bodies then use the converted Christians to run anti-India agenda doing the bidding of their foreign masters by inciting riots, spewing venom against Hindus and Hinduism and promoting secessionism. Their so-called protests are aimed at destroying India’s economic interests, the Church mafia driven Kudankulam protests and the anti-Sterlite protests are some of the most illustrious examples. The Church’s close relationship with murderous Maoists like Pastor Stan Swamy who doubled up as an Evangelist-Maoist is also well known.

This step by the National Commission of Scheduled Castes of taking up the matter and investigating into the fraudulent methods used by the Church to convert vulnerable and marginalised sections of Hindu society is a much awaited very welcome first step towards keeping in check the conversion mafia in India bolstered by foreign funds.

It is sincerely hoped that the National Commission of Scheduled Castes also takes cognisance of massive conversions of Scheduled Castes by fraud Pastors like Ankur Narula who is now building the largest Church in India with foreign funds!

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