News Special Reports Tamil Nadu

Is There A Nexus Between DMK & The Christian Missionary NGO That Tortured Its Inmates At Its ‘Home’?

February 18, 2023
The Commune

More shocking and horrific news about the Christian Home ‘Anbu Jothi Ashramam’ and its owners B Jubin and J Maria emerges every day, with several accusing them of organ trafficking in addition to rape and murder charges.

On 13 February 2023, Tamil Nadu Police arrested the owners of Anbu Jothi Ashramam, B Jubin, and J Maria, on several charges, including rape, in a village in the Vizhuppuram district, based on a complaint filed by Salim Khan, whose father-in-law residing in the Ashram has been missing since August 2021.

Warden Muthumaari, a computer operator, Gopinath, an attendant, and driver Biju have also been booked.

With the assistance of volunteers, 142 survivors were rescued from the home. Survivors claimed that they were subjected to a range of different sufferings, including rape, torture after being chained and being left to be attacked by the monkeys they tamed. The team discovered that at least 15 of the inmates were missing and had no records, while those who remained in the home had contusions, bruises, and blood clots on their bodies and complained of torture and sexual assault.

This is not the first time Jubin and his associates have been arrested on serious charges by Tamil Nadu Police.

Abduct, Tonsure And Torture

Earlier in July 2022, The Commune had reported about 200 innocent people who were illegally abducted and held captive by different NGOs run by Christian missionaries. It was reported that these people were abducted for harvesting their organs to be sold in the illegal organ racket.

On 30 July 2022, 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).

Jubin, the main suspect, was accused of abducting old people and destitutes from Coimbatore roads and housing them in a building belonging to the ‘Blesss India Children Home’ in Attukal near Thondamuthur, which was closed in 2015 due to violations under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Around 200 innocent people were rescued after being illegally abducted and held captive by various NGOs run by Christian missionaries, including Jubin’s Anbu Jothi Ashram, following the intervention of Coimbatore BJP cadres led by BJP Coimbatore district president Balaji Uthamaramasamy and a social activist named Kishore.

Modus Operandi Of Abduction

Locals in Vizhupuram claimed that Anbu Jothi Ashram, an unregistered home, used to hire a van and pick up destitute people in Vizhuppuram, luring them with three meals a day and a decent job under a safe roof.

In Coimbatore, a similar method was used to abduct destitutes.  Natraj, a victim from Coimbatore, stated that four men forced him into the vehicle as he was returning from Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital. Another person who was waiting to get free lunch provided by some NGOs was forcibly taken into a vehicle, tonsured, and kept captive at the shelter. A man who had gone to pay school fees for his son was abducted when he was waiting for a bus to go to Pollachi.

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. Many others who were detained claimed that the NGO took their belongings and documents, such as Aadhaar, PAN cards, and driving licences, and destroyed them.

When the people resisted, the NGO members allegedly told them that they could go to any police station they wanted and that nothing would happen. The illegal detention in Coimbatore came to light after the neighbourhood heard distressing cries from the building.

In another case, an elderly woman was abducted while sitting in a temple near her home in Kalveerampalayam, Marudamalai. The old lady’s relatives searched for and caught the vehicle, while the NGO members shaved her head, gave her only a nightie, and burned the clothes she was wearing.

The culprit Jubin was apprehended along with the vehicle used in the abduction. When confronted by the old lady’s relatives, Jubin stated, “I have obtained permission from the Superintendent of Police office to transfer destitute, mentally challenged people, and physically disabled people to Vizhuppuram.”

Christian Missionaries And Tamil Nadu Police Nexus

Prior to being arrested on 30 July 2022, Anbu Jothi Ashramam, led by Jubin and other Christian missionaries, had received support from Tamil Nadu police in the name of rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

The Coimbatore City Police Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), led by City Police Commissioner V. Balakrishnan and AHTU Inspector R. Roslin, assisted eleven Christian missionary NGOs and trusts in transferring homeless people in the name of rescue efforts.

Adaikala Karangal, Anbu Jothi Ashram, Pasi Illa Tamilaham, Meetpu Trust, Paralogathin Pathai, Karunai Ullangal, Home for Hope, Atchayam Trust, United India, St. Joseph’s Hospice, and Saranaalayam were among the Christian missionary NGOs involved in the incident in Coimbatore.

Anbu Jothi Ashram Had Associated With Chennai Police Too

Under the Karunai Payanam initiative, the Greater Chennai Police Department collaborated with various NGOs to reunite mentally ill destitute found in various parts of the state with their families through Apna Ghar, an NGO in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. So far, 466 people have been sent to Rajasthan as part of the initiative.

Other Christian missionary organisations, including Jubin’s Anbu Jothi Ashramam, were involved in the Karunai Payanam initiative, which relocated homeless people from Chennai. However, the Greater Chennai Police Department has now stated that the Anbu Jothi Ashram NGO has been blacklisted and that they had only affiliated with them only for the Karunai Payanam initiative.

According to the Times of India, Jubin was photographed with DMK Minister PK Sekhar Babu and Chennai City Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal. They also quoted a police officer as saying, “We checked his (Jubin’s) background and he did not have any criminal record. All the NGOs had taken pictures with the commissioner as they worked for a good cause.”

How and when was Jubin released who was earlier arrested in July 2022 on the same charges of illegally detaining and torturing people?

Given Jubin’s ties to top DMK leaders and police officers, people are concerned that if a thorough, non-biased investigation will be conducted in this case against Christian Home, given the DMK government’s murky track record of supporting problematic institutions in the past.

DMK Govt And Christian Missionaries

A group of Christian missionary organisations grouped together and launched the ‘Pasiyilla Tamizhagam’ initiative, in which homeless, destitute, mentally challenged, and other state people stranded in Tamil Nadu were transferred to their home state.

Along with top police officials, DMK Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) P. Sekarbabu was seen at the inauguration function of the ‘Pasi Illa Tamizhagam’ initiative, started by the Jubin of Anbu Jothi Illam.

Following the revelation of the incident of torture, rape and sexual assault, the Greater Chennai Police Department has distanced itself from the contentious Christian Missionary, stating that the NGO has been blacklisted.

Though the accused Jubin was arrested by Tamil Nadu police in Coimbatore in July 2022 after being caught red-handed while attempting to transfer homeless elderly people, he was released the next day and continued to engage in similar activities in other districts. This called into question the Tamil Nadu government’s credibility in handling the case without interference from Christian missionaries.

It is worth noting that Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai alleged that Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Davidson Devasirvatham has close links with Christian Missionary groups and is working with an agenda of promoting a particular religion in the southern part of the state.

In another incident in the past, DMK MLA Inigo Irudayaraj felicitated the accused Sagaya Mary, who was allegedly involved in the suicide of 17-year-old schoolgirl Lavanya, when she came out on bail. Appavu, the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly and a DMK MLA who is expected to be impartial, stated in a Christian meeting that the DMK government was formed because of Christians. The DMK’s track record of going above and beyond the law to support Christian Missionaries is well known to the public.

The Need For CBI Investigation

Given that DMK Minister Sekarbabu, Coimbatore Commissioner Balakrishnan, and Chennai City Commissioner have all been linked to the Christian NGO Anbu Jothi Illam, Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai has demanded that the CBI investigate the case.

In a letter addressed to Union Home Minister Amith Shah, Annamalai said, “During the investigation, fake authorisation letters from police authorising the Ashram to bury dead bodies were found along with several incriminating pieces of evidence. It has also come to light that there are links to this trafficking network in Karnataka & Rajasthan.”

He added, “The couple has run this home since 2005, and unfortunately, illegal activity run by the couple Jubin Mary & Maria has gone unnoticed all these years. In 2021, 15 inmates moved from the Ashram in Villupuram were transferred to ARK Mission of India at KRC Road Doddagubbi, Bangalore, and all these 15 inmates are missing. This is a suspected case of organ trafficking, as no genuine records are maintained for these transfers and death in many cases.”

According to Annamalai, the CBI should look into the case given that DMK leaders and the NGO Anbu Jothi Ashram were involved in moving 160 homeless people to Rajasthan and there have been numerous allegations of human organ trafficking involving more than three states.

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