Legal Rights Protection Forum

BREAKING: After years of our continuous follow-up and communication with the MHA Foreigners Division, Bureau of Immigration and Indian consular offices in the US, the Government of India cancelled the OCI registration of John Daniel of Laymen's Evangelical Fellowship India over Christian missionary activities in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The Madras High Court has upheld the cancellation, finding that he had engaged in missionary preaching without the required permission. WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT? Laymen’s Evangelical Fellowship India (LEFI), registered in Nungambakkam, Chennai, is associated with John Daniel, an Indian-born American citizen engaged in religious and missionary activities in India on behalf of the organisation while holding OCI status. LEFI’s presence is particularly notable in Andhra Pradesh’s coastal districts of Prakasam, Guntur and Nellore, and its wider network of churches across India warrants systematic documentation and scrutiny of compliance with applicable laws. CASE OF STUARTPURAM VILLAGE, ANDHRA PRADESH? Stuartpuram was historically associated with communities branded as “criminal tribes” under the British colonial Criminal Tribes Act of 1871. This stigma reflected colonial policies of collective suspicion and social control, not any inherent criminality of the communities concerned. From the mid-20th century, Christian organisations, including LEFI undertook outreach activities in the region involving religious conversions in the guise of moral education and employment initiatives. Network of churches established by LEFI across India is provided below: Andhra Pradesh: 354 Churches Telangana: 42 Churches Tamil Nadu: 117 Churches Andaman & Nicobar Islands: 1 Church Arunachal Pradesh: 5 Churches Assam: 5 Churches Birhar: 1 Church Chattisgarh: 2 Churches New Delhi: 1 Church Goa: 1 Church Gujarat: 5 Churches Haryana: 2 Churches Himachal Pradesh: 3 Churches Jammu & Kashmir: 3 Churches Jharkhand: 3 Churches Karnataka: 10 Churches Kerala: 3 Churches Madhya Pradesh: 2 Churches Maharashtra: 9 Churches Manipur: 8 Churches Meghalaya: 3 Churches Mizoram: 1 Church Nagaland: 2 Churches Odisha: 7 Churches Punjab: 4 Churches Rajasthan: 1 Church Sikkim: 1 Church Tripura: 1 Church Uttarakhand: 1 Church Uttar Pradesh: 7 Churches West Bengal: 8 Churches

Location: Behind the Railway Loco Shed, near the site of the erstwhile Leprosy Home, Bitragunta, Bogole Mandal, SPSR Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh. An unauthorized church has been constructed by encroaching upon Railway land. We lodged a complaint with the Divisional Railway Manager, Vijayawada Division, South Coast Railway @drmvijayawada, seeking immediate removal of the encroachment and appropriate action against the persons responsible for it.

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐑 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋’𝐒 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐀𝐓 𝐅𝐂𝐑𝐀-𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 ‘𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐃’, 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐃: 𝐍𝐇𝐑𝐂 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐇𝐘𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐃 & 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋-𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐀𝐉𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐈 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐑𝐏𝐅 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 A major development in the case concerning the death of a 14-year-old disabled girl under institutional care in Telangana. The National Human Rights Commission, which earlier took cognizance of the complaint filed by the Legal Rights Protection Forum, has taken serious note of the failure of the District Collectors of Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri to submit the enquiry report despite repeated directions. The case was placed before the Commission in February 2026 on a petition filed by LRPF. The NHRC issued notices to the District Collectors of Medchal-Malkajgiri and Hyderabad in February and March 2026, directing them to submit Action Taken Reports. The authorities failed to submit the required reports despite the Commission’s directions and a subsequent reminder. Taking serious note of the continued non-compliance, the Bench of the National Human Rights Commission, presided by Shri Priyank Kanoongo, Hon'ble Member, issued Conditional Summons to the District Collectors of Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri. The two District Collectors must appear before the NHRC on 22 October 2026 along with the requisite enquiry reports. Their personal appearance will be dispensed with if the reports are submitted on or before 15 October 2026. The case concerns the unauthorised shifting of the minor girl from Home for Disabled, Jeera, Secunderabad, to its Shamirpet unit in 2021, followed by her death. The latest NHRC action highlights the failure of the concerned authorities to submit the required report despite earlier directions and a subsequent reminder. 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐄𝐗𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐍 𝟕 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏? As per the FIR copy obtained by the Legal Rights Protection Forum, the complaint was lodged by Smt. G. Shailaja, the then Chairperson, Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Hyderabad District, on 7 June 2021at P.S. Gandhinagar, Hyderabad. A Zero FIR (No. 01/2021) was registered the same day under Section 176(1)(A) of the Cr.P.C. The case was subsequently transferred to P.S. Shamirpet, Cyberabad Police Commissionerate, for further investigation. According to the FIR, a 14-year-old girl named Jahnavi, initially sheltered at MV Foundation, Hyderabad, was shifted by the District Child Welfare Committee to Home for Disabled, Jeera, Secunderabad, on 17 March 2021. She was subsequently shifted to Home for Disabled, Somonbolle Village, Shamirpet, Medchal-Malkajgiri District, without following the required procedure. According to the complainant, after receiving information about the girl’s suspicious death, she visited Home for Disabled, Jeera, Secunderabad, along with a CWC member on 7 June 2021. The complaint stated that the girl died under suspicious circumstances at the Shamirpet facility and that her body was subsequently shifted to Bhoiguda, Secunderabad, where it was cremated without informing the CWC or the police authorities. The complaint further stated that, during the inspection, the organisers of the Home failed to produce the health records of the deceased girl. The required protocol was not followed while shifting the girl from Home for Disabled, Jeera, Secunderabad, to the Shamirpet facility, and the concerned Child Welfare Committees were not informed about the transfer. It was also reported that, instead of the body being buried as per the customary Christian practice, it was burnt on a funeral pyre during the cremation, raising serious questions about the manner in which the body was disposed of and whether crucial evidence was preserved. As per NGO Darpan records, Home for the Disabled is registered as a society bearing Registration No. 197-42 of 1942. Further records examined by LRPF show that the society is also registered with the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, with FCRA Registration. It is deeply concerning that despite the serious incident in 2021 involving the death of a minor in institutional care and the circumstances recorded in the FIR, the NGO’s FCRA registration was renewed in 2022 and remains valid up to 2027. This raises serious questions regarding regulatory oversight and whether the circumstances surrounding the child’s death were adequately examined by the concerned authorities. Legal Rights Protection Forum sought the intervention of the NHRC and requested that the Government of Telangana order an independent inquiry/Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the unauthorised transfer and suspicious death of the minor child, along with appropriate action against those responsible and examination of the regulatory lapses. The latest NHRC proceedings now put the spotlight on the death of the minor, the procedural violations, regulatory concerns surrounding the institution, and the failure of the concerned authorities to submit the enquiry report despite repeated directions from the Commission. Legal Rights Protection Forum expresses sincere thanks to Shri Priyank Kanoongo ji @KanoongoPriyank , Hon’ble Member, NHRC, for taking serious note of the suspicious death of an innocent minor disabled girl and the serious concerns regarding the handling of the case by the authorities.

It has recently come to our notice that, in the year 2021, a 14-year-old disabled minor girl under institutional care was shifted from ‘Home for Disabled’, Jeera, Secunderabad to a unit in Shamirpet without permission of the Child Welfare Committee, where she later died under suspicious circumstances. As per the FIR: 👉The body of the deceased minor girl was allegedly transported back to Home for Disabled, Secunderabad, and cremated at a Christian cremation centre in Bhoiguda without prior intimation to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) or the police authorities. 👉 Instead of burial, which is the routine Christian practice, the body was reportedly burnt on a pyre — an act considered highly suspicious as it effectively destroyed crucial forensic evidence. 👉 Organisers of the NGO failed to produce any medical or health records of the child to the CWC members. No Media Outrage. No Celebrity Voices. No accountability. Just silence. Following a fresh petition filed by Legal Rights Protection Forum, the Bench of the National Human Rights Commission, presided by Shri Priyank Kanoongo ji, Hon'ble Member, has taken cognizance of the matter and issued a notice to the District Collectors of Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri, with directions to submit an Action Taken Report within two weeks for perusal of the Commission. Home for the Disabled, Secunderabad is a society registered with the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, holding FCRA Registration No. 010230015. It is deeply shocking that despite this extremely serious incident in 2021 involving the death of a minor in institutional care and serious allegations recorded in an FIR, the NGO’s FCRA licence was renewed in 2022 and is presently valid up to 2027. This clearly points to systemic regulatory failure and gives rise to serious apprehension that the case was deliberately suppressed without fixing accountability. How many such stories remain hidden? Children are not fundraising tools. Protection cannot be optional. @KanoongoPriyank @revanth_anumula @TelanganaCMO @MinistryWCD #SaveBachpan #ChildRights #JusticeForChildren #Telangana

It has recently come to our notice that, in the year 2021, a 14-year-old disabled minor girl under institutional care was shifted from ‘Home for Disabled’, Jeera, Secunderabad to a unit in Shamirpet without permission of the Child Welfare Committee, where she later died under suspicious circumstances. As per the FIR: 👉The body of the deceased minor girl was allegedly transported back to Home for Disabled, Secunderabad, and cremated at a Christian cremation centre in Bhoiguda without prior intimation to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) or the police authorities. 👉 Instead of burial, which is the routine Christian practice, the body was reportedly burnt on a pyre — an act considered highly suspicious as it effectively destroyed crucial forensic evidence. 👉 Organisers of the NGO failed to produce any medical or health records of the child to the CWC members. No Media Outrage. No Celebrity Voices. No accountability. Just silence. Following a fresh petition filed by Legal Rights Protection Forum, the Bench of the National Human Rights Commission, presided by Shri Priyank Kanoongo ji, Hon'ble Member, has taken cognizance of the matter and issued a notice to the District Collectors of Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri, with directions to submit an Action Taken Report within two weeks for perusal of the Commission. Home for the Disabled, Secunderabad is a society registered with the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, holding FCRA Registration No. 010230015. It is deeply shocking that despite this extremely serious incident in 2021 involving the death of a minor in institutional care and serious allegations recorded in an FIR, the NGO’s FCRA licence was renewed in 2022 and is presently valid up to 2027. This clearly points to systemic regulatory failure and gives rise to serious apprehension that the case was deliberately suppressed without fixing accountability. How many such stories remain hidden? Children are not fundraising tools. Protection cannot be optional. @KanoongoPriyank @revanth_anumula @TelanganaCMO @MinistryWCD #SaveBachpan #ChildRights #JusticeForChildren #Telangana

Legal Rights Protection Forum has filed a complaint before the National Human Rights Commission and requested Hon’ble Member Shri Priyank Kanoongo @KanoongoPriyank to order an independent inquiry into @Meta’s alleged systemic failure to prevent underage children from accessing Facebook and Instagram. We raised concerns over age assurance, children’s personal data, behavioural profiling, algorithmic amplification and exposure to harmful digital environments, particularly following U.S. litigation testimony alleging a “Don’t Ask - Don’t Tell” approach towards under-13 users. LRPF has also sought examination of Meta’s compliance with India’s child-protection and data-protection framework and appropriate measures to strengthen child safety and privacy by design.