REPORTSTamil Nadu Christian NGO accused of harvesting bones and organs of the elderly

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Shocking allegation against an NGO named St. Joseph’s Hospice have emerged, which include beating sick inmates and using their dead bodies for harvesting bones. Some reports have also alleged that it is also involved in harvesting organs of its inmates and selling it to other countries.

The hospice, which calls itself a ‘Home for Dying Destitute’, was founded by Father R. V. Thomas in 2011. The same Christian pastor is also running similar hospices in Dindigul and Paleshwaram. A hospice is a Christian equivalent of an Ashram where sick and destitute are supposed to be taken care of.

An article about an unauthorised vault being used to cremate the dead had appeared in The Hindu newspaper on 3rd February. However, this article had not included details of treatment meted out to inmates and allegations of bone harvesting by locals.

Now a Tamil channel named Thanthi TV has come up with a ground report, which has brought to light the allegations of locals against the the NGO.

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@ranganaathan

Salavakkam- Elders are brought from other places, beaten up & when they are dead do not bury them. They are taking the bones separately. Kids fear going to school.

-public of this village https://twitter.com/ThanthiTV/status/966239422818611200 …

08:21 - 23 Feb 2018

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The Thanti TV reported quoted in the above tweet can be seen here:

Thanthi TV

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@ThanthiTV

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14:43 - 21 Feb 2018

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Translation of Thanthi TV report is as below :

Chengalpattu district Salavakkam, In an orphanage/hospice here the locals allege that the inmates are not given a proper burial. and their bones are harvested by authorities of the hospice. Further, the polluted water from the hospice is leaking into the local lake and farming has been adversely affected because of that. The children who go near the lake are also disturbed by the smell of the water.

Respondent 1 : Sick and elderly from outside the village , from places like Madras are brought here, tortured and killed. They are not given a burial. Instead they are kept in the racks [of the vault] for 3 months and we don’t know what happens, but the bones are usually taken. We tell them to bury but they don’t do it. They have removed the bones, we saw. Because of the these dead bodies , the smell has increased and it is intolerable. The polluted water comes to our lake and it is affecting families. So please take step and do what has to be done.

Respondent 2 : Children of the village go to study. My daughter is also studying. But they are afraid to walk from here and go. From outside it looks like a hospice. But they take them all, torture . When it rains , water comes from there and mixes with the lake and families are affected. The village does not need this hospice.

Local authorities are inspecting the premises of the Christian hospice and tunnels of upto 30 feet depth have been discovered.

The alleged illegal activities of the NGO came to light when the villagers stopped a van that was carrying dead bodies of the hospice inmates. An old woman crying out from the van was rescued by them. The elderly rescued woman has been identified as Annamalai and the dead body has been identified as that of Vijayakumar. Another elderly man belonging to Dindigul named Selvaraj was also rescued from the van.

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