Around 200 innocent people who were illegally abducted and held captive by different NGOs run by Christian missionaries were rescued following the intervention of a social activist named Kishore and local BJP cadres from Coimbatore.
The NGOs had rented a building belonging to one ‘Blesss India Children Home’ located at Attukal near Thondamuthur to house the illegally abducted homeless destitutes. This institution is said to have been closed in 2015 over violations of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Many of those illegally detained were found to be old men and women who had families. Some of them worked as daily wage labourers and were forcibly abducted during their work. In videos that are doing the rounds on social media, they can be seen lamenting how they were forcible taken, tonsured and tortured by the members of the NGOs. Those who refused to get tonsured were reportedly beaten with PVC pipes by the NGO members. Of the 130 people, heads of 110 people were found tonsured according to the Times of India report.
One of the victims named Nataraj was quoted saying in a Times of India report that he was forcible taken into a vehicle by four men when he was returning from Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital.
Another person who was waiting to get free lunch provided by some NGOs were forcibly taken into a vehicle, tonsured, and kept captive at the shelter.
A man who had gone to pay school fees for his son and was abducted when he was waiting for a bus to go to Pollachi.
In another instance, an old lady who was sitting in a temple near her home in Kalveerampalayam, Marudamalai was abducted. The old lady’s relatives searched and caught the vehicle and in the intervening 2 hours, the NGO members had shaved her head, gave her only a nightie and burnt the clothes she was wearing.
இரவு வேலையை முடித்துவிட்டு காலையில், 1ம் வகுப்பு படிக்கும் தன்னுடைய குழந்தைக்கு பள்ளி கட்டணம் செலுத்த பொள்ளாச்சி பேருந்திற்காக சாலையில் நடந்து சென்றவரை அடித்து இழுத்து வந்து அடைத்து வைத்து விட்டனர். கையில் இருந்த 1530ரூபாயையும் பிடுங்கி கொண்டனர் pic.twitter.com/lskclruRmL
— Selva Kumar (@Selvakumar_IN) July 28, 2022
A construction worker who was sleeping on the roadside in Edappadi near Salem was abducted by the NGOs stating that they orders from District Collector.
ஜார்க்கன்டில் இருந்து கோவைக்கு ஒரு வேலையாக வந்தவரை ரயில்வே நிலையத்திலேயை வைத்து கடத்தி விட்டனர். மொட்டை அடித்து கையில் வைத்திருந்த PAN கார்டு, ஆதார் கார்டு, அனைத்தையும் எரித்து விட்டனர்
நன்றாக ஆங்கிலம் பேசுகிறார்அருகில் இருப்பவர் தாளியூர் கிஷோர், சமூக ஆர்வலர் pic.twitter.com/hs656eZPvV
— Selva Kumar (@Selvakumar_IN) July 28, 2022
A man who had come from Jharkhand to Coimbatore for work was abducted at the railway station. The NGO members burnt the PAN card, Aadhaar card, and the cash that he had.
amount of hate spewed by ruling party on north indian guest workers reached a level where an illegal organ trading group abducted a well educated Jharkhand resident from coimbatore railway station, tonsured his head and held him captive in a remote location@HemantSorenJMM pic.twitter.com/vGD8f2tLlR
— Selva Kumar (@Selvakumar_IN) July 29, 2022
Many others who were detained also alleged that the NGO took away their belongings and their documents like Aadhaar, PAN card, driving licence, and destroyed them.
When the people had resisted, the NGO members had allegedly told them that they can go and complain to whichever police they want as nothing would happen.
The illegal detention came to light after the neighbourhood heard distressing cries from the building.
Following this, Perur Tahsildar Indumathi lodged a complaint with the Thondamuthur police station. A case was registered and six people were arrested which includes – B Jubin (Anbu Ashram, Vizhupuram); K. George (Paralogathin Pathai Trust, Chennai); V Balachandran (Meetpu Trust, Dharmapuri); C Arun (Anbu Jothi Ashram, Chennai); Symon Senthilkumar (Adaikkala Karangal, Coimbatore); Selvin (Pugalidam Trust, Chennai).
Once the neighbourhood alerted, a local social activist named Kishore along with members of BJP Coimbatore district had arrived at the spot demanding action against the perpetrators.
However, they were released the very next day on bail by the police. The Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of Tamil Nadu police, which helped the NGOs, said that the district administration had given permission to these NGOs to go on a drive for ‘rescuing’ homeless people.
The AHTU inspector Roslin was quoted saying in a report that the District Collector had given permission two weeks ago to rescue mentally ill and homeless people and rehabilitate them.
“Upon the advice of the District Social Welfare Officer, we supported them and rescued only the destitute people. Without our knowledge, they took a few people who are not mentally ill. We have nothing to do with it,” AHTU inspector R Roslin was quoted saying in the report by The New India Express.
On the other hand, District Collector Sameeran had denied giving any written approval to the NGOs and added that they might have shown the letter requesting permission.
“The fact is that police believed it was for a good purpose and assisted them. The inquiry will bring out the truth,” the District Collector was quoted saying in the report.
Social Activist Thaliyur Kishore along with BJP Coimbatore Preisdent Balaji Uthamaramasamy protested for arresting and slapping Goondas Act against the culprits.
Selvakumar, who closely work with the BJP in the region mentioned that these people were abducted for harvesting their organs to be sold in the illegal organ racket. He also said that the institution ‘Bless India’ where the abducted people were kept was reopened in 2021 with the support of the local DMK councilor Ravi. He added that the police were complicit in the crime by giving the ‘license to abduct’ to these dubious NGOs.
Despite the crime being done by Christian missionary NGOs, both Times Of India and The New Indian Express resorted to secularizing the incident. The report by The New Indian Express make no mention of Christian missionary NGOs while the Times Of India report names the NGOs involved. The report by The New Indian Express also slyly hid the fact that the Bless India Children Home was involved in a POCSO case by stating that it was ‘closed in 2015 for some violation’. The Times Of India report branded the protest demanding action against the culprits as protest by ‘right-wing outfits’.
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