Jagran correspondent, Bareilly. A priest has lodged a complaint with the DM as well as on the IGRS portal about a scam of Rs 2,000 crore by selling the valuable land of the Methodist Church. He has also accused many priests of not paying their salaries. On the complaint, the Tehsildar has sent a notice to three people including a priest and asked them to reply within three days.
Pastor Albert Benjamin, resident of Sadar Bazar, Cantt, says that he has been serving as a pastor in the Methodist Church in India since 2003. From the very beginning, they were paid by deducting money from their salaries. Full salary was never paid. Whenever the regional treasurer of the Methodist Church in India asked for salary, he told that there was no money in the treasury.
In October 2019, the regional treasurer gave in writing that the treasury office of the Methodist Church in India has been closed. On this, in May 2022, a letter was sent to the regional and central treasurers asking in which treasury of the Methodist Church in India the amount of church land worth Rs 2,000 crore that was sold. There was no response from any cashier on this.
In August 2022, he had sent a letter to the DM demanding an investigation into the scam of Rs 2,000 crore, which has not been completed till date. The investigation got stuck in the Tehsildar's office itself. In July 2023, all the prominent people of the country wrote a letter demanding their salaries and the outstanding salaries of all the priests and deaconesses.
On the instructions of the Central Minority Commission, the Tehsil Accountant and Amin came to investigate, but the scam could not be exposed nor was anyone's salary paid. He told that due to non-payment of salary and outstanding funds, his children's education is also being stopped. The electricity bill has also increased to Rs 2 lakh.
Pastor Albert met the DM on November 11 and demanded an investigation into the scam as well as payment. Then on December 2, he also complained on the Chief Minister's public hearing portal IGRS. After this the tehsil administration came into action. The Tehsildar has issued notice to the Church's Educational Secretary Pastor Parminder Massey, GC Dayanand and Treasurer Sunil Mahis.
They have been asked to submit a detailed report regarding the complaints within three days, so that the matter can be resolved quickly. Tehsildar Bhanu Singh says that the complaint has been received on the Chief Minister portal. The complainant has accused him of committing a scam of Rs 2000 crore by selling church property and not paying salary of Rs 3 lakh. Notice has been issued to three people in the matter and report has been sought from them within three days.