ECI Church at Tiruneermalai demolished as per the Court order, as it was built on encroached land illegally!

ECI Church at Tiruneermalai demolished as per the Court order, as it was built on encroached land illegally!

Ezra’s method of encroaching land and appropriate it with political clout: The ECI has been in the habit of encroaching “Porumboke[1]” government lands and building Church. Ezra Sargunam in his book, he has openly urged his followers to do so violating acts and rules and they have been behaving in this way for the last 50 years.  Earlier in his book, he has openly recorded that there is nothing wrong in land grabbing[2]. That is whatever is done in the name of Jesus, it is allowed. Again, there have been court cases, involving him with land grabbing. As he has been close to Karunanidhi, he has been manipulating and getting along. However, in between, there have been court cases, where, he was pulled up and exposed. In Gujarat case also, it was exposed and Karunanidhi nexus revealed openly[3]. He was about to be arrested for trespassing lad, but, Karunanidhi ordered him to return[4].

Church planting in India by any means: The UK website, typically, describes his activities, “Bishop Sargunam is well known for his work in India and has a very clear vision. His Great Commission is to plant 100,000 churches, disciple 10 million people and to train and equip 30,000 frontline Church planters by their centenary year in 2054[5]. This may sound impossible to many but he said their trust is in the Holy Spirit which they are constantly experiencing. He also went on to say ” We expect great things from God and attempt great things from God” just like Williams Carey, the father of the Modern Missionary Movement. Bishop Sargunam said they have a clear track record of achieving their goals as they started with the aim of planting 100 churches in the 70’s, then moved on to 1,000 churches in the 90’s when ‘God’s promise to us was, “a little one shall become a thousand”, which we achieved, and so we went on to dream big and open 2,000 churches by the year 2000’ which, by God’s grace, they achieved”[6].

Ezra Sargunam explains how to encroach poramboke land and construct a church: As pointed out in his book, he has explained how a poramboke land can be encroached, occupied and owned in a step by step strategy[7].

1. Just assemble at a place under the guise of conducting prayer [after identifying it as poramboke land].
2. Conduct regularly and put up a thatched shed [to claim some sort of ownership on it].
3. Convert into pacca gudisai – thatched-roofed house [implying permanent structure put up and awaiting electrical connection and all].
4. Then convert it into a big thatched hall with the help of local police [electrical connection given, Patta given].
5. Then build the structure with bricks and roof with ACC [illegal construction completed].

Ezra Sargunam claims that the DMK would help[8] and thus none could question his activities. It has to be noted that American evangelists appreciated his illegal activities[9] without going into the details of such illegal activities. Now the demolition of illegal church news has come in the media. Would they realize, repent and correct themselves? No, they twist it into a manner in a rabble-rousing manner, “Christians persecuted in India, churches demolished,” and so on, suppressing all illegal activities, violation of Acts and Rules etc.

ECI encroached Citlapakkan lake and constructed church – 2017: In the latter half of November 2017, as bulldozers razed some unauthorised religious structures that stood tall on Chitlapakkam Lake for years, hordes of curious onlookers gathered on the streets, pausing their daily chores. Led by senior IAS officer P Amudha, the Public Works Department demolished a few temples, a mosque and a church that residents have been emotionally and spiritually connected to, for decades. On the banks of a water body in Anakaputhur, an ECI church has found space since many years[10]. A large portion of the lake was encroached upon by the Anakaputhur Municipality itself when it constructed overhead water tanks, parks and public toilets. Explaining the pattern of encroachment, David Manohar of NGO Arappor Iyakkam says[11], “An entire residential locality emerged on the water body, after which a church was constructed. No objections were raised against the religious structures as they are partners in crime. Religious emotion plays a role too.”

ECI Tiruneermalai Church –January 2020, HC ordered to demolish: The Madras High Court has directed the Pallavaram Tahsildar to remove an encroachment put up by the Evangelical Church of India (ECI) on government hill poramboke in Tiruneermalai within eight weeks[12]. A division bench comprising Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice R Hemalatha gave the direction on a contempt petition moved by one V Balachandran, alleging wilful disobedience and non-compliance by the Land Administration Secretary of the order dated June 19, 2019, which had directed the Revisional Authority to dispose of the revision filed by ECI challenging the demolition order. After ECI encroached the land and constructed a church, a representation was submitted in 2002 to the Kancheepuram Collector, who in turn directed the Tambaram Tahsildar to evict and report within 48 hours. In the legal battle that followed, the court had held in 2010 and 2012 that the church has to be removed. Despite that, and even after the latest order in 2019, the encroachment was not removed, said the petition. After perusing the proceedings by the Collector, Land Administration Commissioner and the order of the Revisional Authority dated January 8, the bench led by Justice Sathyanarayanan said: “The ECI, with absolute impunity, had encroached upon the land belonging to the government and not stopping with that, has also put up a wholly unauthorised structure in the form of a religious structure.” Directing its demolition, the bench asked the police to provide protection for removing it. The bench also directed the Pallavaram Tahsildar to verify religious and other structures on government land, and file a status report on the removal of encroachments and demolish unauthorised structures. The plea was posted to March 6, 2020, for reporting compliance[13].

March 2020, as per the court order, it is demolished: As the case was coming up on March 6, 2020, the authorities got alerted and tried to do something. Thus, they had gone there with police support and started demolishing as per the court directions. The revenue department officials had gone there under the Tashildhar Rajendra, with JCB crane and all. Police Assistant Commissioners Asokan, Sahadevan also preset with 100 policemen. As usual, the Christians tried to create a scene, but, they were evicted, arrested and sent in a van. Of course, evening, they were released. However, Ezra Sargunam was not seen in the context and his response not heard. No media goes to him and asks his reaction, about the court action. None asked him as to how he could grab land and the court’s order is also not respected by him and his followers.

© Vedaprakash

06-03-2020

[1] the word…“poramboke lands” means the lands which is not assessed to revenue records and it is outside the revenue accounts.

[2] M. Ezra Sargunam, Multiplying Churches in India: An Experiment in Madras, Federation of Evangelical Churches of India, 1974, Madras, pp141-142.

[3] Veaprakash, Ezra Sargunam, Church planting, land grabbing, politics and communalization under the guise of secularization!, November 14, 2017.

[4] https://indiainteracts.wordpress.com/2017/11/14/ezra-sargunam-church-planting-land-grabbing-politics-and-communalization-under-the-guise-of-secularization/

[5] St.David Diocese, Pioneer Church Planter in India, St Davids Diocesan Board of Finance is a company registered in England and Wales.

[6] https://stdavids.churchinwales.org.uk/pioneer-church-planter-in-india/

[7]  M. Ezra Sargunam, Multiplying Churches in India: An Experiment in Madras, Federation of Evangelical Churches of India, 1974, Madras, p.97.

[8] Ezra Sargunam, Multiplying Churches in India: An Experiment in Madras, Federation of Evangelical Churches of India, 1974, Madras, pp141-142.

[9] Donald A. McGavran, Understanding Church Growth, Eerdmans Pubishing Comany, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, 1990, p.305

[10] Chenni.citizen.matters, Demolition of religious structures in Chitlapakkam raises hope for Chennai lakes, January 2, 2018 Laasya Shekhar

[11] http://chennai.citizenmatters.in/demolition-temple-church-mosque-encroachment-in-chitlapakkam-chennai-lake-3276

[12] DTnext, Raze ECI church on govt land: HC, Published: Jan 15,202002:58 AM

[13] https://www.dtnext.in/News/City/2020/01/15025833/1209568/Raze-ECI-church-on-govt-land-HC.vpf