A video has been making rounds on the internet about a family being expelled from Devalampallepalem village of Singarayakonda Mandal, Prakasam District, Andhra Pradesh. The ex-communication resulted after locals found that the family accepted Christianity and made a church on the land belonging to the Ram temple. A fact-checking website claimed that the video is from 2018. The video is also witnessing protests from the leaders of the Christian community.
What happened in 2018?
According to the villagers’ testimony, it has come to light that a few Christians fraudulently built a church on land that belonged to the village’s Ram temple in 2017. After two years, the congregation divided into two groups. One of the former members, Mr. Nagaraju, created a new church, hired a pastor named Yona from another region, and began leading his new congregation. The problem started here.
The Pastor named Yona, as stated by the villagers, used to annoy them by indiscriminately using loudspeakers all the time. He used to scream and shriek throughout his all-night prayers, which would begin at midnight. These all-night prayers used to jolt the peasants out of their sleep, causing them to awaken startled. The most severely impacted groups included the sick, the elderly, and particularly students preparing for various exams. Villagers’ protests to stop all-night prayers or to do night prayers without loudspeakers were ignored.
The villagers claimed that Pastor Yona began acting inappropriately around the villagers’ women. Only young women, he claimed, should attend exclusive all-night gatherings. Pastor Yona also asserted that Jesus Christ will speak through him by entering his body. This drew a lot of women, who were duped by his lies. The women who fell prey to his trance began to put aside their families and regular household duties in favour of spending more and more time in the church, with Pastor Yona.
Nagaraju, who founded a new church and brought Pastor Yona from outside, was summoned and told to expel Pastor Yona from the village and have someone else pray as Pastor. His activities and all-night prayers caused marital strife and family disagreements in the village. The suggestion was flatly rejected by Nagaraju, which sparked arguments and debates among the community. Nagaraju left the village as a result of his conversion to Christianity, and he departed the community after complaining to the neighbourhood police station.
The police investigated Nagaraju’s claims and came to the conclusion that they were all false. They attempted to mediate a truce between the parties, but Nagaraju insisted on filing a complaint. The revenue and police authorities have had numerous meetings in the village ever since Nagaraju made a bogus complaint against the people and given Nagaraju the assurance that he is free to remain there and follow the religion of his choosing. The local’s sole request was that Pastor Yona refrain from visiting the village to lead church services. Yet Nagaraju frequently asserted the untrue claim that if he visits the area, he will be beaten up.
It is worth noting that Nagaraju’s family members were present in the village during the recent Sankranti celebrations held in January 2023. The villagers also claimed that they would move criminal proceedings against the self-proclaimed Christian leaders and pastors if they continue to defame them by making false accusations of the ex-communication of Christians from the village.
It is pertinent to mention that the video making rounds on the internet has been made by the members of the fisherman community. The truth is that a converted Christian family grabbed the land belonging to the Ram temple and built a church over it. The church’s pastor engaged in improper practises, including all-night gatherings, the use of loudspeakers, and—this was the worst—having inappropriate desires for the local women.
