Villagers of Kotthapalem in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district have complained to the authorities against members of the Believers’ Eastern Church alleging the misuse of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Atrocities (Prevention) Act for nefarious purposes and money laundering.
In a letter dated 5 February to the Joint Collector, a copy of which is with The Commune, the villagers have stated that for the last one year, Anand Paul, an itinerant pastor with the Believers’ Eastern Church has been proselytizing Christianity among the economically weaker section of their village by offering them financial inducements. Paul allegedly offers ₹5000 per month to a prospective convert to Christianity. The letter also accuses Paul of attempting to have a church constructed in the village against the wishes of the villagers without proper building permissions and approvals.
Objecting villagers threatened with SC/ST Act
Five other residents of the village, including a former Deputy Inspector-General of police, are encouraging the pastor, the villagers complain. In shocking terms, the villagers’ complaint also outlines how they also threatened the objecting villagers with the SC/ST Atrocities Act. “He[Anand Paul] has enlisted the help of 5 other natives of the village, namely, Mr. Anil, Mr. Doma Koti Reddy, Doma Nageswara Reddy, Mr. Ramesh Babu (Retired DIG of Police) and Ms. Mallisetty Prasanna Latha who have been encouraging this Christian Pastor Mr. Ananda Paul and threatening our villagers that if any one objects to the proposal of Christian conversion and Church construction activities they will have to face SC ST Atrocity Act provisions. This Christian Pastor Mr. Ananda Paul is destroying the peaceful atmosphere in the village and creating communal tensions and creating enmity between different groups through caste-based and religion-based enmity among our villagers. We are being abused by Sri Ananda Paul and his associates in unprintable and abusive language”, the villagers stated in their letter.
The Commune has often reported on how the SC/ST Act is regularly used by people for malevolent purposes.
On February 12, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said that converts cannot avail any of the benefits that are given to SCs. “No person who professes a religion different from Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist religion shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste”, he said.
According to the letter, when the villagers opposed the proselytization and the building activities on 24 January, Anand Paul openly threatened them that he would sue them under the provisions of the SC/ST Act. The same day the villagers lodged a formal, written complaint against Paul, and the police registered an FIR in this regard. Subsequently, the pastor too complained against the villagers in the same police station and an FIR was filed against the villagers. They were charged under, among others, the SC/ST Atrocities Act.
“As you are aware that SCs who have converted to Christianity or Islam will no longer be recognized as SCs. Sri Ananda Paul is a Christian and as such he cannot be treated as SC and he cannot invoke the provisions of SC ST POA Act. This is a clear of misuse of legal protection given to SCs by a non-SC Christian namely, Sri. Ananda Paul”, the complaint states.
“The villagers of different castes and communities of Hindu religion are living together with peace and harmony by helping each other irrespective of political ideologies and caste-based bias or feelings. Unfortunately, few months ago, some persons who are not native to our village have conspired to create tensions with a view to divide the people of our village on the basis of Caste and Religion”, the villagers add.
They further state in their letter, “Ananda Paul has in his complaint, clearly admitted the fact that he is a Christian and that for the last 10 years he is administering a Christian congregation in the capacity of a Christian pastor at the residence of Doma Koti Reddy of Pittalavanipalem village. Despite admission of being a Christian, the police officials have erred in applying the provisions of SC ST POA Act in the FIR registered against us.”
The villagers have also asked the authorities to “cancel the SC Caste certificate of Christian pastor Sri Ananda Paul and other Christians of this village who are still holding SC caste certificates even after conversion to Christianity.” Furthermore, they also demanded an inquiry into who issued these certificates to the pastor and his congregation. They requested the authorities to conduct an investigation into the sources of funding of the Believer’s Eastern Church.
Sources have told The Commune that Believer’s Eastern Church is currently under investigation by Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department and other law enforcement agencies in the country for alleged violation of Prevention of Money Laundering Act and the Foreign Exchange Management Act.
A copy of the complaint letter was also sent to the Joint Director, Income Tax Department, Home Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs and Mandal Revenue Officer, Pittalavaanipalem, Guntur District.
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