Overview
- Police arrested three staff members identified as Reji, Benny and Siju after complaints about a 17-year-old resident, and registered cases under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
- A Child Welfare Committee preliminary inquiry found indications that other children and residents may have been physically abused and that some were made to work instead of receiving promised education or support.
- BJP activists marched to the Elohim Global Worship Centre on Sunday demanding the pastor’s arrest, and police escorted worshippers into the prayer hall after minor scuffles broke out between protesters and devotees.
- Pastor Binu Vazhamuttom and his wife deny the allegations and say the matter stems from personal disputes, while the Social Justice department has intensified its probe and the pastor was summoned for questioning but did not attend.
- The building owner has served a vacate notice and local officials say the centre operated without a panchayat licence, raising the prospect of administrative closure and broader reviews of similar care institutions as authorities continue investigations.