A shocking allegation has emerged from Kanyakumari district involving the reported sexual abuse of a 17-year-old boy during a Vacation Bible School (VBS) run by a Pentecostal Church. The case leads one to question the alleged political protection for certain religious groups and long-standing systemic inaction by authorities in Tamil Nadu under the DMK government.
What Happened?
According to the account, the minor attended a VBS program where he was allegedly sexually harassed overnight by a 55-year-old religious preacher named Varghese, after asking him alone to stay back while telling the others to leave. The boy reportedly returned home visibly distressed, with facial swelling and an inability to speak. For days, he avoided eating and suffered emotional trauma before revealing the incident to his parents.
The parents, initially hopeful for justice, allegedly faced resistance from local church officials and were discouraged from approaching the police. Two months later, failing to obtain any internal resolution, they sought police assistance.
He was arrested about a week ago under POCSO Act after the Thuckalay Police registered a case under the Act.
Repeat Offender
Disturbingly, this isn’t the first accusation against Varghese. Records indicate a similar complaint was filed against him in 2008 by a married woman who alleged sexual exploitation under the guise of “spiritual counselling.” However, no FIR was registered at the time, with sources claiming the matter was “settled” quietly due to political pressure.
That earlier complaint allegedly, was never formally registered as an FIR due to political influence during the then DMK government under M. Karunanidhi, a time when significant foreign funding was said to be flowing into church infrastructure in the state.
It is alleged that Varghese’s phone contains images and videos of several minors and women allegedly abused by him, yet no action has been taken against him.
Church-DMK Govt Nexus?
It is alleged that there seems to be a “pattern of impunity” for certain church-affiliated individuals in Tamil Nadu, with serious accusations that complaints involving Christian religious preachers often fail to result in FIRs, allegedly due to political and police pressure over the years; that the DMK government is “overly influenced” by church networks that are said to deliver consolidated votes during elections, and that Christian institutions exercise strong social control including through burial rights over their members, using them as leverage to suppress dissent.
It is alleged that the incident was “not an isolated assault” but part of a decades-long lack of accountability for crimes involving certain religious leaders. Contrast this instance with any incident allegedly involving Hindus. Critics argue that one can observe swift action when accusations involve Hindu preachers. It is alleged that for over 40 years, such offences have rarely led to prosecution and that victims often remain silent for fear of social consequences.
Is there a possible link between the continued political influence of church leadership in Tamil Nadu to their ability to direct block votes? Has this resulted in preferential treatment for Christian religious institutions in matters of policing and governance? Critics argue that the state government ought to take burial grounds used by churches under state control, arguing that this would remove a key source of coercive authority from religious institutions.
(With inputs from Maridhas)
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