GUNTUR: As many as 37 people, including two women, were detained in Guntur as they allegedly pelted stones at the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church (AELC) and tried to forcefully enter into to disrupt the morning mass, Guntur East Division DSP Srinivasa Rao said on Sunday.
The incident has been reported following years of power struggle between two groups warring to take control of AELC. One of the oldest Protestant churches in India, AELC was founded in 1842 by Reverend John Christian Fredrick Heyer, a missionary from the United States.
Headquartered in Guntur, it is one of the largest Lutheran churches in Asia with a membership of over 15 lakh and is governed by an executive council which administers the daily affairs of the church.AELC, which had expanded its activity across South India, has been mired in controversy ever since successive committees began leasing out properties at prime areas in various cities, including Guntur and Rajamahendravaram.
The power struggle began after 2019, when a rival group, headed by Bishop Ch Elia, claimed that a new committee has been elected to oversee the administration of the church. Another committee, headed by Bishop Fredrik Pardesi Babu, filed a petition in the High Court seeking its direction to reinstate their committee. The court’s ruling was in favour of the panel led by Pardesi Babu as it was asked to conduct daily administration of the church in June 2021.
However, the other group continued to cause issues for the committee to conduct day-to-day administration.Following this, the High Court directed police to provide security to the AELC committee headed by Pardesi Babu to conduct duties and take all measures to prevent disturbances created by the respondents.
Everyone assumed the power struggle between the high ranking committees would end until the mob allegedly tried to disrupt Pardesi Babu’s morning mass, claiming he has no right to conduct it.
The watchman at the church sustained minor injuries and was admitted at Guntur GGH.By the time a few members of the mob managed to climb the gate and enter the church, the police rushed to the spot and dispersed them, and restored normalcy.
DSP Rao said the accused have been shifted to Arundalpet police station. Stating that most of them were from Hubballi in Karnataka, he said other belonged to Eluru, Machilipatnam, and Chebrolu.He added that none of the devotees in the church were injured. Police forces were deployed to ensure peaceful situation.