AP: Villagers filed Petition with Rashtrapati Bhavan seeking action against Christian Conversions

The villagers of Gurajala in Nandavaram mandal in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh have written to Honorable President Sri Ramnath Kovind seeking his immediate intervention in the interests of justice and in restoring communal harmony in the village. The illegal Church construction and rampant illegal religious conversions in the village over the years have threatened the peace in the village. When villagers tried to protest the church conversions, they were even threatened with coercive action including filing of cases under the ‘Prevention of Atrocities on SC-ST’ Act as a large number of converts belong to the SC community, although as per the law, if persons convert to Christianity, they cease to have SC status. Years of harassment and conversions forced the villagers to raise a written complaint to the Honorable President of India.

The Gurujala villagers also vowed to take up the issue with the District Collector and other officials to take it to it’s logical conclusion.

As per villagers, the members of SC community who embraced Christianity have constructed IMB church in 2008, without any legal permission from the respective authorities. The converts now want to expand Church construction with a compound wall.
Having come to know of this activity, the villagers complained to concerned Mandal Parishad Development Officer Fazal Basha and explained to him that the structure would obstruct God Shiva’s temple celebrations.

The MPDO conducted a field visit to the village church and understood the plans of new construction, he declared that the land where the church was constructed belongs to the govt/grama kamtam (Government land) and issued immediate orders to stop any kind of further constructions on the said land.

As these developments are happening, the members affiliated with the church management filed ‘SC/ST Atrocities’ cases against 10 villagers, accusing them of troubling them due to caste discrimination. In addition to this, they also cited the objection of villagers to constructing the compound wall as a harassment.

Following the MPDO’s assessment, the concerned office issued notices to Church management, village officials and local Police department, following which the construction of the wall was stopped.

Responding to the SC/ST Atrocities case filed against them, the villagers denied any kind of caste discrimination and said that it’s a coercive action under the guise of SC/ST Act. They have also informed that the person who registered the police case is a practicing Christian.

In order to take this legal battle further, the villagers formed a team and have written to the Honorable President and to the District Collector with the following details:

– As per 2011 census, entire Nandavaram mandal has only 59 Christians and Gurujala village itself has Zero Christians.
– Church management violated the AP GO Number 376 Gram Panchayat Land Development (Lay Out and Building) Rules – 2002 and section 26 that requires permission from the District Collector.
-Most of the SC families of this village are practicing Christianity and also regularly attend Church activities. As per The Constitutional (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950, if people belonging to SC community are practicing Christianity or Islam, the are disqualified to be called as SC.
-As per villagers, the practicing Christians are holding the SC certificates, which is against the Constitution and is a gross violation of the law of the land.
-It is suspected that management of IMB Church is provoking the practicing Christians to file a complaint against fellow villagers under SC/ST Act.
-In 1989 Central Home Ministry issued orders that the concerned officials who issued SC certificates, without ground verification and investigation will be liable for punishment under Section 420.

Demands of Villagers:

– Removing the unauthorized IMB church from village.
– Register the practicing Christians as official Christians in the government records.
– Cancel the SC certificates of practicing Christians as per the law.
-Take necessary actions against officials who have issued the SC certificates without local investigation

The Legal Rights Protection Forum announced its support to the villagers who are fighting against Christian Conversions.

Legal Rights Protection Forum is with You! https://t.co/yqMSzYu94b pic.twitter.com/d8lLfd9uh1

— Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) June 25, 2021