WHEN THE ANGLO-INDIANS SLEEP, THE “LEADERS” (OF THE AI’S) DO WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO ? (courtsey Max Khatchaturian)

When one scans through the history of the Anglo-Indian community, one despairs to read that the community may have a lot to be proud of, but that AI’s cannot be proud of their leaders, (except one). The recent history of the AIs is marked by a leaders that thought of themselves first, and then for the Community. Many AIs still write about the late Frank Anthony, celebrated barrister. An examination of his leadership of the Community, is ridden by complaints of his ego and his dictatorship over the AI community by reason of his close relationship with the Congress party of Nehru and his daughter Mrs. Gandhi. To focus this article on the present state of affairs, I am letting Frank Anthony rest wherever he is. To get an idea of the Church games and how it affects the Community we could turn to the leadership of the President-In-Chief of the All India Anglo-Indian Association, Mr. Neil O’Brien.

A long time ago Herbert Alick Stark (”Call of the Blood”) and Sir Henry Gidney debated the role of the Church in Anglo-Indian affairs, and Sir Gidney, vehemently opposed any interference of the Church, while Stark strongly welcomed it. Gidney warned that the Church was not a friend of the Community. His words have been forgotten and buried with him.  All over India, Anglo-Indian schools and Trusts have been usurped and taken over and promoted now as “Church Schools” in a deliberate program of lies and fabrication by the Church, notably the Anglican Church, now known as the CNI and CSI.

Being a Calcuttawallah myself,  my knowledge is a bit limited to the Calcutta Anglo-Indians so the examples I give, are all from Calcutta.  Neil O’Brien, President-in-Chief of the All India Anglo Indian Association, has been a life long friend of the Protestant Church in Calcutta. When presented with a choice of supporting the Protestant Church or an Anglo-Indian or Anglo-Indian school, O’Brien would rather support the Protestant Church. As “stalwart” and “eminent” leader of the Anglo-Indian community O’Brien has facilitated the CNI Bishop of Calcutta in swindling of the AI school properties.

St. Thomas’ School, Kidderpore, Calcutta is being swindled of millions by the CNI Bishop of Calcutta, with the assistance of AI leaders.

Section 11 of the St. Thomas School Act 1923 is as follows :

“The purpose of St. Thomas School are hereby declared to be as follows and save, as is otherwise herein provided, all property vested in the Governors by or under this act shall be deemed to be held in trust for the said purposes and not otherwise :
(1) the maintenance of an efficient School, and
(2) the provision of a sound education, with religious instruction in accordance with the principles of the Church of England for the children of Europeans and Anglo-Indians..”

On reading this Section 11, certainly and absolutely there should be no doubt that it is an Anglo-Indian School.

The Govt. of  India settled a lease deed with the St. Thomas School Society, leasing out in perpetuity the land at no 4 Diamond Harbour Road, Kidderpore, Calcutta. The original lease deed dated 31st December 1917 made between the Secretary of State for India and the St. Thomas School Society states as follows :

Para 5 :  And also will use and occupy the said premises for the purposes of the said Calcutta Free School only and for no other purpose and whether the same shall be carried on under its present name or any other name

Para 6. : And (the Society or the Governors of STS) will not assign, transfer underlet or part with the with the possession of the said premises or any part thereof without the previous consent in writing of Government.

It is quite clear that the Govt. of India made over the land to be held in Trust for the education of Anglo-Indians and FOR NO OTHER PURPOSE.

Further : Section 3 of the St. Thomas’ School Act 1923 : The Governors of St. Thomas School shall be a body corporate….and shall have power to acquire and hold property….”

Note the exact words. The Government is not a fool and did not give the Governors powers to lease or sell of the property as that power is not contained in the conditions of the lease.

Around 1997-98 plans were hatched by the CNI Bishop P.S.P. Raju to use the school property to set up an “Engineeering College”. Raju set up a Calcutta Diocesan Education Trust(CNI) where he was Chairman and forwarded a proposal to the Governors of St. Thomas’ School (where he was Chairman !!) to join hands with him to set up a College. In his own words he writes “The St. Thomas School allotted an area of 5.276 acres to establish the St. Thomas’ College of Engineering & Technology”. The Governors of St. Thomas’ School (Chairman Raju) very generously gave Rs. 5 million to the College (Chairman : Raju !!) to set it up on the land owned by the School.

While all this illegal transfer of the School property was going on, the Anglo-Indian community was being ably represented on the St. Thomas School Governors by Neil O’Brien and Gillian Hart MLA. Both of these notable Anglo-Indians did nothing to stop the swindle or even protest to the swindler Bishop. Neil O’Brien, stalwart leader of the AIs had been on the Governing board of STS from the early 1980s and should have read the lease deed and the St. Thomas School Act in the 25 years or more he interfered with St. Thomas’ School.

Rather than protest, the AI leaders shake with fear in the presence of the CNI Bishops !!  The Governors of St. Thomas School (under Section 15 of the St. Thomas School Act 1923) have made rules to conduct their own business. Under these rules, made by the Governors, the Bishop of Calcutta is the Chairman of the Governors.

To throw the Bishop and his swindling scheme out the Anglo-Indians on the Governing Body could have proposed that the Rules under section 15 should be amended. The new rules would state that the Chairman of the Anglo-Indian school would hereafter be an Anglo-Indian. This proposal has been put in writing to Neil O’Brien and Gillian Hart. One would imagine as AIs they would jump to this opportunity to throw the Bishop out of the School together with his swindling plans. But it is not to be.

The CNI Bishop has other sweeties to offer the stalwart AI leaders. Neil O’Brien and Gillian Hart were co-opted for many years (by the Bishop) to the Board of La Martiniere’s, Calcutta.  When Gillian fell out with the Bishop Raju over her son’s disastrous marriage to Raju’s daughter, Raju promptly kicked her out form La Marts.

St. Thomas’ School, and the St. Thomas’ Engg. College,  continue to make money for Bishop Raju and his friends thanks to the silence of our AI leaders.

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READ THE STORY.. (WHEN THIEVES FALL OUT WHAT HAPPENS…….)

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040923/asp/calcutta/story_3791010.asp

Bishop bail in swindle cry

College complaint puts priest on regular trips to police station

OUR LEGAL REPORTER

Rev. P.S.P. Raju, Bishop of Calcutta Diocese of Church of North India (CNI), moved a prayer for anticipatory bail on Wednesday in connection with a case of misappropriation of funds amounting to Rs 2.4 crore.

A division bench of Justice N.A. Chowdhury and Justice A.K. Bhattacharya adjourned the hearing of the petition till September 29 after the government counsel assured that Rev. Raju, also chairman of the governing committee of the St Thomas School for Boys, Kidderpore, would not be arrested.

The court directed the Bishop to regularly meet investigating officer P.G. Das, an inspector with Shakespeare Sarani police station, till the case comes up for hearing next Wednesday.

“This is, perhaps, the first time in recent memory that the head of a religious body had to seek anticipatory bail. We, as a community, are ashamed of today’s development,” said Rev. Sailesh Mukhopadhyay, secretary, Calcutta Diocese of CNI, and principal of St Thomas College of Engineering and Technology.

A section of members of the 27 CNI-controlled churches has been demanding the Bishop?s removal for alleged financial and administrative irregularities.

On the basis of an order passed by the metropolitan magistrate’s court on August 24, Shakespeare Sarani police station had lodged an FIR on August 26 against the Bishop.

The magistrate’s court had acted on a complaint filed by Goutam Banerjee, registrar of St Thomas College of Engineering, run on the premises of the St Thomas School, Kidderpore, a CNI property.

Banerjee alleged that the Bishop had proposed to set up an engineering and technology institute to function under the Calcutta Diocesan Education Council. The Bishop promised to donate 5.27 acres owned by St Thomas School for the college.

An agreement was signed between the governing body of the school and the council in March 2000, but according to Banerjee, the Bishop, who is also chairman of the council, has yet to register the deed.

“The engineering college was set up by spending Rs 2 crore. An additional Rs 40 lakh was spent for affiliation,” said Banerjee. But now, the Bishop wants the college to vacate the plot and shift. This will jeopardise the academic career of many students.”

When the anticipatory bail petition in this regard came up for hearing, public prosecutor Kazi Safiullah told the court that police would not arrest the Bishop. “But he should be asked to come to Shakespeare Sarani police station to assist the police,” he said.

Please note the views expressed are purely of the author, and in no way represents personal views