Investigation by the Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) into the activities of Christian NGOs has revealed umpteen number of organisations involved in surreptitious conversions and fraudulent financial deals in recent times. Their recent investigation has revealed that Guntur based India Rural Evangelical Fellowship (IREF) has been indulging in converting rural students to whom they claim to provide free education. LRPF has approached the Ministry of Home Affairs to take action against the Evangelical NGO.
LRPF investigation found that IREF has US and UK counterparts called IREF (UK) and IREF (US) which are used to raise funds for their operations in India. Their nefarious agenda was revealed when the objectives mentioned in GOI’s NGO Darpan website were compared to those on their UK and US websites. Key Objectives of IREF as per NGO Darpan website is “Children, Disaster Management, Education & Literacy, Health & Family Welfare, Rural Development & Poverty alleviation, any other.”
However, on their US website they introduce themselves as “Christian Charitable & Missionary, to promote the Gospel Message of Christianity within the State of Andhra Pradesh, South India, with the help of God, to Print and Publish Christian Literature.”
On their UK website they introduce themselves as “IREF (UK) is the UK support branch of the India Rural Evangelical Fellowship (IREF), an indigenous Indian mission working in the state of Andhra Pradesh. IREF is an evangelical Christian development organisation, dedicated to reaching the rural villages of Andhra Pradesh in South India with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. IREF works toward this goal by mobilising individual Christians, planting and enabling local churches and caring for children by providing them with a Christian education. There are over 65 million people living in 30,000 villages in the state of Andhra Pradesh alone”.
Unlawful conversion of minors to Christianity
Investigation has found that newsletters published by IREF are full of shocking stories of minors being converted without knowledge/ consent of parents. LRPF says that this is a serious crime but the rabid and fanatical evangelist conversion team of IREF is least bothered about the law of the land. Day after day they continue to break the law, destroy families, Hindu religion and civilisation. They proudly announce to the world their dastardly criminal acts. IREF’s unethical and criminal activities are tearing apart hapless, poor and destitute Hindu families, says LRPF representation to the MHA. Some samples are as below:
-“About 50 people were baptized–many were teens. Those who have a Hindu name are given a Christian name at their baptism.” Source: http://india-mission-trip-2012.blogspot.com/
-“A steady harvest God is clearly working through the ministry of IREF. Many young people are responding to the Gospel message. Each week on average, around 20 young people are baptised, even though taking such a public state may result in persecution and ostracism from their family members and friends.” (Source)
-“Mahendra decided to give his life to Christ at this year’s Youth Conference. He was always afraid of his parents’ reaction to baptism; but this year, he decided it was time to make that public confession of faith and trust in the Lord with all of his heart” (Source)
The NGO itself has admitted in its promotional literature that minor children as young as 10 years are being brainwashed and converted to Christianity. On the pretext of “free education”, NGOs such as IREF are forcing youngsters including minors to change their religion to Christianity abandoning their ancestral faith. Foreign nationals who enter India on tourist Visas are indulging in brain washing these young minds and converting them to Christianity.
LRPF investigation has also found that children studying in the institutions run by the NGO are forced to attend Bible prayers both in the morning and evening. On a number of occasions, thousands of Bibles have been distributed to the young and minor children studying in various schools/colleges run by the NGO. Such distribution of Bibles/ forcing of Bible classes on non-Christian children is highly unethical and against the rights of non-Christian children and their families, says LRPF in its representation.
Indiscriminate use of Photos of Children to raise funds abroad
(Source: irefusa.org)
LRPF has found that to raise money for their activities, IREF makes extensive use of photos of children abroad offering each child for sponsorship by a family of donors. The children in the photos are portrayed as orphans or coming from homes with “severe abuse”. Tragic tales about such children are regularly conveyed to sponsors abroad. Hundreds of such “orphans” are offered sponsorship.
LRPF says that children in photos of IREF may not be real orphans at all and calls for a detailed enquiry to ascertain the same. LRPF quotes several such instances of misuse of children’s photos for their agenda.
Involvement in politics of religion
Rebba Emmanuel, President of the IREF is accused of illegal conversions, FCRA fraud using ‘free education’ as a bait
LRPF investigation reveals that Rebba Emmanuel, President of the IREF has participated in the political rallies of YSRCP party held in Repalle in Andhra Pradesh.
In addition, the President of IREF has released a video asking Christians to vote in the name of Jesus for the YSRCP party as this party has come out with a manifesto that favours Christians in a number of ways. Christians have been promised a lot of things as compared to the manifesto of other parties. If Christians have to prosper, they should vote for the YSRCP party, says the President of IREF in the video. https://youtu.be/T_GNsC1RP78
Other violations by IREF
LRPF’s investigation into the activities of IREF has revealed that the Christian NGO has been involved in several other violations of Indian laws. IREF newsletters and posts by team IREF in blogs/ Social Media regularly mention persecution of Christians in India.
Conversion of minor Hindu children, their baptism by the President of the NGO himself, destruction of Hindu families, anti-Hindu hate speeches/statements and foreign citizens visiting India on visitors visas participating in evangelist/baptism activities in IREF and magic faith healings are all violations of current Indian laws, says LRPF.
Another violation is use of fraudulent faith healing by functionaries of IREF. Serious ailments suffered by Hindus are miraculously healed after prayers to the holy spirit and Jesus Christ. Such activities are criminal offenses under Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. The office bearers of IREF should be prosecuted for promoting and advertising magic remedies, says the LRPF representation.
Such violations are aided and abetted by receipt of funds under FCRA. Hence the NGOs activities are clearly in violation of the FCRA rules. In view of the above violations, LRPF requests the Ministry of Home Affairs to ban any type of religious instruction/forced-attending of Church by students of IREF’s educational institutions. It also seeks that all foreign remittances to IREF, except those for educational purposes, should be stopped and their bank accounts frozen.
LRPF has also requested that use of photos of children to raise funds abroad should be investigated. Further, it requests that minor children who have been converted/ baptised without consent of parents must be identified and appropriate criminal action be initiated against the chief functionaries of IREF.
LRPF investigation has also found that IREF was earlier funded by Compassion International and their associated concerns. However, despite the exit of Compassion International from India, the FCRA funds received by IREF in the last 2 years has nearly doubled. Enquiries by LRPF indicate that there is a drastic decline in the number of students studying in IREF run educational institutions. Hence LRPF requests that a thorough investigation has to be conducted on the utilisation of funds by IREF.
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