FCRA licences of four Christian evangelical organisations suspended by MHA

The central government has cracked the whip again against unruly Christian Evangelical organisations indulging in fraudulent activities which are not commensurate with their undertaking to the MHA while seeking funds under FCRA. The FCRA licences of four such organisations have been suspended by the Ministry of Home Affairs today. The four organisations are Ecreosoculis North Western Gossner Evangelical (Jharkhand), Evangelical Churches Association (Manipur), Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church (Jharkhand), and New Life Fellowship Association (Mumbai).

Any NGO, organisation, trust or association in India cannot receive foreign donations if they do not have a license under the FCRA, which is regulated by the Home Ministry. Suspension of FCRA license means that the NGO can no longer receive fresh foreign funds from donors pending a probe by the ministry.

The VHP and Bajrang Dal have several times said that these NGOs have indulged in illegal conversions but never disclosed their intent to the MHA. Legal forums like LRPF and LRO too have been fighting such Evangelical NGOs which receive huge funds from abroad but indulge in conversions here in India. Infact LRO had lodged a complaint with MHA on Sept 20/2019 over New Life Fellowship Association- NLFA charging them for their role in spreading Christian Black Magic and torturing kids for conversion.

Other than these four Christian evangelical associations, the government had also cancelled the FCRA licences of two other organisations, Rajnandgaon Leprosy Hospital and Clinics, and the Don Bosco Tribal Development Society.

In 2019 alone, MHA had canceled FCRA registrations of 1,807 NGOs and Institutions. All these NGOs and institutions had failed to provide information related to their annual income and expenditures for funds received from abroad from the last 6 years. After the Modi government came to power in 2014, the Home Ministry has cancelled 20,674 licences till date. While 22,457 NGOs continue to have FCRA clearance, around 6,702 organisations have expired licenses.

In just the last three months, LRPF and LRO have unearthed nearly a dozen Christian evangelical organisations who indulge in religious conversions illegally but have FCRA license to receive funds from abroad. In August, Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) registered a complaint against ‘India Bible Literature Trust’ with the Union Home Ministry primarily for FCRA violations and also for indulging in conversions and defaming Hindu Culture and Traditions.

In May this year, Christian NGO ‘Serve India Ministries’ based out of Coimbatore in TN was accused of similar activities. Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) had unearthed a web of illegal activities of Serve India Ministries which include illegal conversions of poor Hindus using deceit, hate speech and enticements and FCRA violations  Similarly, few weeks earlier, a complaint was filed by LRPF against Evangelical organisation Gospel for Tribals Social Service Society accusing it of illegal conversions of Janjatis, hate speech against Hindus and FCRA fraud.

In April, LRPF had sought MHA investigation and prosecution of another Evangelical organisation ‘Harvest India’ for indulging in FCRA Violations and making false allegations against PM Modi and GOI.

Many Legal forums and concerned citizens have welcomed the government’s move to suspend the licenses of such Evangelical organisations. Many have urged the government to cancel their license all together and prosecute the organisations and their office bearers for indulging in illegal activities.