Church Fund Cheated and Land Illegally Transferred

Kakching, Manipur, November 10: The Pastor and Church secretary of Good Shepherd Community Church, Kakching have withdrawn Rs 2,89,000 (Rupees Two Lakh and eighty nine thousand) at three different transactions without the approval of church board, Deacon Board and the knowledge of the church treasurer. The church plot measuring 0.15 acre registered in the name of Good Shepherd Community Church also illegally transferred to Union Baptist Church. A cheating and dishonour case filed against the pastor and church secretary along with seven other church members involved in the conspiracy.

After having the learning the cheating case of the church fund and property, the Chairman of the church board call an emergency church board meeting at Church premises on November 1, 2012 at 2 PM. The church pastor Moirangthem Nabakeshwar Singh along with 20 other youths gave threatening letter, which was reported to police in written. While the meeting was about to start, a group of 20 people, mostly youngsters led by the pastor came with an intention to harm the church board members. They abused and threatened the Church Board Chairman. Through the intervention of the Kakching police officials, any physical attack was prevented. The pastor Nabakeshwar and his group after cheating the Church fund and illegally transferring the church plot, have locked the church building with new lock and key and put up a different name of church signboard. Now the members have no place for their Sunday Worship service.

Meanwhile, the Church Secretary Shawaijam Kanta Singh filed a false case against two church members and church treasurer with the allegation that three church members stole the church resolution record book and the church bank account passbook and they were arrested by police.

Since the matter became serious, the Church Board resolved to seek the legal help from Human Rights Law Network based at Imphal, headed by renowned human rights defender Advocate Rakesh Meihoubam. A case of cheating, dishonour, and organising a group with an intension to harm others was filed the court against the pastor, the secretary and seven others involved in the crime. The court has ordered Kakching Police to investigate the case. The Kakching Police has filed an FIR – No. 197 on November 9, 2012 under the section 406, 408, 409, 420, and 34 of Indian Penal Code.

Pastor Nabakeshwar is a member of Good Shepherd Community Church registered at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and he has been received honorarium amount of Rs 1500 from April 1, 2004 until October 2012, along with 10 other workers of Kakching Good Shepherd Community Church.

Good Shepherd Community Church, Kakching is part of a national registered body of Good Shepherd Community Church registered at Hyderabad, which has 3000 churches all over India. The members of Good Shepherd Community Church, Kakching were part of Kakching Baptist Church, known as Irum Baptist Church. The present members of Good Shepherd Community Church, Kakching came out from Kakching Baptist Church with mutual understanding that they wished to be the members of Good Shepherd Community Church purchased a plot measuring 0.15 acre from Shawaijam Ongbi Sanaton Devi in 2008 and founded a new church at the present site. However, the present members of the Good Shepherd Community Church, Kakching named it as Union Baptist Church in 2008. Later in 2009, the church board passed no objection resolution to rename the church as Good Shepherd Community Church in Church Board Sitting No 8 in 2009. In the same year in Church Board Sitting No 12 resolved to register the present church plot of 0.15 acre in the name of Good Shepherd Community Church and accordingly the church plot was registered in the name of Good Shepherd Community Church in 2009. The original copy of Patta (Jamabani) was submitted to Head Office, Secunderabad for the proceeding of church building construction. The same church plot was illegally transferred to Union Baptist Church with fake documents, which was not known to the Church Board, nor Deacon Board nor passed any resolution by the Church Board nor Deacon Board as per the Church Resolution Book.

The Church Building Committee of Good Shepherd Community Church, Kakching representatives of Church Board members resolved to the change the name of the church from Union Baptist Church to Good Shepherd Community Church. A copy of the resolution was submitted to Head Office, Secunderabad signed by Pastor Nabakeshwar and the Chairman of the Church Board Rev. N. Debendra Singh on August 25, 2010.

The Church board also resolved in Sitting No 75 to suspend the Pastor Nabakeshwar and secretary Kanta from their post. The legal action is taken so that a message to be conveyed to all Christians and general public that no act of mischief is accepted in the eyes of the law. The church board and the members appealed to those who may wish to know the truth, may refer to the church resolution record book, which is at the custody of Kakching Police and a copy of the same is available with the church board.

The church board and the members have taken the legal help against the people involved in cheating and dishonour case and to open the church locked by the culprits. The Church Board and the members will seek help from Manipur State Minority Commission and National Commission for Minorities. The Church Board and the members also will report the matter to the National Parental body of Good Shepherd Community Church, Hyderabad.