In another gutsy move against the nefarious activities of the Christian missionary operated non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the Jharkhand Police on Friday has raided 33 of them over serious charges ranging from misuse of foreign funds for religious conversion and for indulging in anti-state activities. A total of 88 church backed NGOs are on the list who would have to face the music in Jharkhand alone. Jharkhand Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Raghubar Das has already been in the headlines for exposing and nabbing the church NGOs who have been found to be indulged in anti-state activities. This is another brave move to curb the nefarious motives of the church and their organisations which try to lure people into converting to Christianity. The move from the Jharkhand Police had been planned quite well in advance and has details of 88 NGOs who received a total of more than Rs 250 crores in foreign funding between 2013 and 2016 alone. The details of which were retrieved under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
An article published in MyNation cites a CID report, stating that out of these 88 Christian missionary organisations which are operating in the state each have received amount varying from Rs 1.84 crore to Rs 39 crore in a three-year period. The magnitude of amount received by these NGOs explains the extent to which their roots have gone to in the state. These NGOs which mostly operate in remote and tribal areas have been accused of luring tribal community members into converting to Christianity through shows of wealth and by offering facilities such as schools, hospitals and shelter homes. The organisations have also been accused of training tribal women as nurse and sending them abroad for suspicious activities. There is always a pressure to convert on the people who tend to fall in the allurement of education and jobs by the missionary run organisations.
Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das has done commendable work in eliminating the threat to tribal lifestyle and culture posed by these foreign funded churches and their organisations. The Jharkhand Freedom of Religion Act 2017 passed by the Raghubar Das led BJP government in the state makes the tribal dominated state of Jharkhand sixth in the country to put curbs on conversion. Any person if found guilty of conversion through force or allurement, according to the law passed in August, would be held liable for punishment that includes a jail term of three years and a fine up to Rs 50,000. People who run churches in the state have not only been found guilty of indulging in conversion activities but they have also been found to be engaged in anti-state and anti-India activities like in Patthalgarhi. Quite recently members of the church backed organisations in state capital Ranchi were found engaged in illegal sale of new born children. The Teresa founded Missionaries of Charity and its branches throughout India are facing investigations after the illegal activity was exposed in a Jharkhand unit of the organisation.
Raghubar Das through his relentless and hard stance on the missionary run organisations has shown that he is quite capable of being called a true protector of the state’s culture, values, traditions and religion. The Jharkhand CM had made headlines in early 2018 when he announced that the benefits reserved for Scheduled Tribes could not be availed by people who had converted. This was announced by the BJP CM quite recently which signifies that his fight against the conversion brigade is not over yet. Jharkhand’s future is lying in safe hands and the state is bound to benefit exponentially from Raghubar Das’s endeavors which are being supported by the state police and applauded by the people of the state.
