Bishop Ezra Sargunam is a controversial evangelist from the state of Tamil Nadu. He has close ties with the DMK and has on several occasions supported them, especially during the elections. He is known for his deep-seated hatred for Hindus and a penchant for Church Planting.
In a video clip that went viral on social media yesterday, he could be seen addressing a group of people and encouraging them to beat up anyone who claims that Hinduism is a religion.
“There is nothing called as a Hindu Religion, Punch them in their face couple of times, make them bleed and help them understand the truth” – Bishop Ezra Sargunam, now you know why M.K.Stalin wants to uproot Sanatana Dharma. pic.twitter.com/L8lwwZMVop
— Vishwatma ?? (@HLKodo) June 12, 2019
In the video clip, he first tries to establish that Hindu religion doesn’t exist. He says that the during the time of the British the census takers were confused as to who they can classify as a Hindu. A committee defined the identity ‘Hindu’ as someone who wasn’t a Muslim, Christian, Sikh or Buddhist.
According to him, a group of Brahmins at that time said that they wouldn’t accept scheduled castes and tribal people as Hindus. They would also only accept a “Good Brahmin” as a Hindu. He claimed that these Brahmins classified 50% of the country’s population as not Hindu. Then while supposedly referring to the recent rise of Hindu Nationalism in the elections he said that this happened because everyone was “Hinduized” for political gains. In his own words, he said that Hinduism is an “Artificial Religion”.
The Bishop then urges the group to take up the challenge and spread the word that there is no such thing as Hindu religion. If at all anyone does oppose to this, the Bishop without hesitation asked the group to punch them in the face and make sure they bleed. He added that they could just ask for forgiveness from God after punching them and then they would be forgiven.
In the following video clip, we could hear the Bishop making a baseless allegation that Prime Minister Modi had not only helped loan defaulters to leave the country but was also financially helping them through RBI.
Bishop Ezra Sargunam!
Absolutely baseless and slanderous charges against PM Narendra Modi.
Says, Modi not only helps defaulters flee the country, also helps them financially through RBI.
It’s a serious slander that needs to be legally dealt with. @HMOIndia @RBI @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/gamPzaaHaK
— Ethirajan Srinivasan (@Ethirajans) April 3, 2019
In an interview with a Christian prayer channel, Jebam TV, in January the ‘brave’ Bishop narrated his ordeal while attempting to convert Hindus during the Allahabad Kumbh Mela 50 years ago.
#noconversion
Bishop Ezra Sargunam, TN.
Few decades ago, we went to Allahabad January mela (Kumbh) to spread gospel among ignorant masses taking dip in Ganges. Their mental make up is different. They tore up our books, clothes, trampled us & beat us up very badly.
??
?️?✌️ pic.twitter.com/gLbS5z3Qyw— SahaJio?? (@oldhandhyd) January 14, 2019
While studying at the Allahabad Bible Seminary during 1961-62, he along with some other students went to distribute religious literature to the pilgrims gathered on the banks of the Ganges for the Kumbh Mela. He was subsequently thrashed, chased away and was trampled upon by a stampede. Injured he had to walk back to his seminary for 15 miles as his companions left him in the heat of the moment. Poor Ezra was utterly dejected and had almost quit his mission.
Ezra studied theology and was conferred the “Doctor of Divinity” degree for his dissertation on International Development and Church Growth. Well-aligned with his passing passion for Church Planting. As written on the website of Evangelical Church of India (ECI), Ezra took his first steps of Church Planting in a village called Porur on the outskirts of Madras.
From then onwards the Bishop had gone to numerous ECI churches across the country. The website strongly claims that 2000 ECI churches were established in the country by 2005.
However, establishing a mere 2000 churches didn’t quench the thirst of Ezra the Church Planter. The ECI has set a humble goal of establishing 100 thousand churches by 2056.
He was a man of literature as well, noted works included: Multiplying Churches in Modern India, Mission Mandate, Religious Toleration and Social Harmony and Perayar Nirubangal. Supposedly he’s also an orator in great demand.
Bishop Sargunam is also the founder of a socio-political organisation called Social Justice Movement of India supposedly working for the upholding the rights of the oppressed in India. In 2000, the Bishop was protesting against the Gujarat government after an alleged attack on a Church in Gujarat village. The Bishop was the Chairman of the Minority Commission of Tamil Nadu at that time.
Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Mr Haren Pandya, had written to the Tamil Nadu government that the Bishop was trying to instigate Christians in the village and creating a “law and order problem”. The Tamil Nadu Government was also informed that the chairman of its Minority Commission had no jurisdiction over Gujarat and had adopted a stance of non-cooperation with the authorities.
Christian conversion programmes have been rampant in India. A Gujarat village had banned Christians from entering after being fed with their attempts to convert. In January Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that there is a need to check mass conversions that are occurring in the country while speaking at a function organized by a Christian body. Last year, raids conducted by Jharkhand police revealed that NGOs have spent Rs 250 crore on forced conversion.
