Khliehriat, Oct 6: Nine families affiliated to Pentecostal Church have been facing atrocities meted out to them by the Tongseng Village of East Jaiñtia Hills since 2008 just because they belong to a different Church and not to the Presbyterian Church to which the majority of about 200 families of the village follow.

These nine families have been facing atrocities from time to time which include being treated as outcasts; denial of work under the MNREGS, denial of Ration Card, damage to their vegetables and banana trees and orchards under some pretext or the other.

At times, stones are pelted at their homes; their firewood stock is burnt down at night, their cattle shed is burnt down with cattle inside, amongst others.

Members of these families informed that there was an instance when they did not receive their Ration Cards and on enquiry from the Deputy Commissioners Office, they were shocked to find their cards at the Office and were informed that the Village had declared them as ‘no more’ (presumed dead).

Furthermore, they informed that on applying for Residential Certificates, they are issued with a Temporary Residential Certificate despite the fact that they have been residents of the Village since time immemorial.

They also informed that the Pentecostal Church has been established in the village since the past 40 years and why are they ill-treated.

These families informed that they are barred from organising services, stopped from building the Church on a land gifted by one of the families, and now the Village has claimed rights over the property and claiming to construct an Aganwadi Centre there, the dead are denied decent burials, and the problems faced by them go on. On being forced to halt the construction of the Church, they claimed that the Villagers says that they need to seek permission or an NOC for the same, and to which one of the family members questioned whether they also need permission to practice faith in this State/Country.

They informed that time and again they have approached the Waheh Chnong (Headman) of the village, the Police and the Deputy Commissioner with their problems but to no avail.