In a significant victory for the Scheduled Caste (SC) Mala Community, the government canceled the SC certificates issued to T. Lakshmana Rao and his family, who had converted to Christianity. This decisive action follows a prolonged struggle by the villagers of Vemulapalem in Gudur Mandal, SPS Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh, who filed a petition against an illegal church establishment. The villagers raised concerns about the religious conversion of Lakshmana Rao and his family, which had led to persistent sound pollution from loud religious propaganda, causing social and communal disruption in the area.
The complaints were originally filed by Dattam Srinivasulu and Mocherla Mahesh in September 2021 against an illegal church establishment.
The cancellation of the SC certificates is a crucial outcome of the villagers’ united efforts, which included submitting a petition to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (@NCSC_GoI) highlighting the church’s activities and the targeting of their community for conversions.
SC caste certificates of entire family who got converted to Christianity & still enjoying SC status were Cancelled!!
Excellent fighting Spirit of villagers belonging to SC community of Vemulapalem, Prakasam Dist, AP under guidance of Legal Rights Protection Forum for 3 years. https://t.co/j5F5azjUiL pic.twitter.com/KW4PQe1Syu
— Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) September 30, 2024
In their letter to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), the villagers stated, “Our village does not have a single Christian as per public records. Recently, a person named Mr. Tiranam Swati Kumar and his entire family converted to Christianity and began practicing Christian religious customs. They are maintaining unauthorized Churches in surrounding villages and recently turned their home into Church, conducting full-day Christian prayer programmes on daily basis. The said Church is completely unauthorized as the said churches have not been established after obtaining due permission from district collector as prescribed under the G.O. Ms. No.376 of the Andhra Pradesh Gram Panchayat Land Development (Lay out and Building) Rules, 2002 issued by the Government of Andhra Pradesh dated 29-11-2012.”
Moreover, the villagers noted, “We, the people of the Scheduled Caste community of the said village, have filed multiple formal written complaints with the Tahsildar, the Circle Inspector (Rural) of Gudur Mandal, and even to the District Collector, Nellore, seeking action in this matter. The concerned officials have completely ignored our multiple appeals and are indirectly extending their support to the unauthorized church authorities. This is a clear case of discrimination by government officials towards the people of the Scheduled Caste community.”
Initially met with inaction from the District Collector, the collective voice of the SC community prompted the Collector to direct the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) to investigate the matter.
An enquiry conducted by the Tahsildar of Gudur confirmed the villagers’ claims, resulting in the submission of a report, in December 2023, to the District Level Scrutiny Committee (DLSC). The report substantiated the allegations, and recommended to cancel the SC caste certificate issued to him and his family members. This recommendation reaffirms that such benefits are reserved for individuals who genuinely belong to the SC community.
The Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF), a legal advocacy group, has offered its support to the villagers in their collective struggle for justice.
This cancellation has been hailed as a victory for the unified spirit of the Vemulapalem villagers, marking a significant step in safeguarding their rights and restoring communal harmony. Their determination serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of collective action against illegal practices and religious coercion.
Speaking to Organiser, MK Nagaraju, President of SC/ ST Rights Forum, the wing of LRPF said “ We will approach competent authorities to take action against officials who issued SC certificate to the Christian family”. Nagaraju reminded of the circular passed by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment under Government of India asked all States to impose heavy penalty and imprisonment on concerned officials as well who issues SC caste certificates to ineligible persons wilfully or carelessly.
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