Twitter users alleged that Amazon was ‘funding’ All India Mission, a group that converts people to other religions in violation of the law in the Northeast.
One of the most well-known online retailers, Amazon, claims to have assisted a group in the Northeast that was engaged in unlicensed religious conversion.
Amazon India has no affiliation with All India Mission or its affiliates, and the AmazonSmile programme does not run on the Amazon India marketplace, according to the US-based e-commerce giant.
Speaking of the denial that came after assertions made on Twitter that a small amount of Amazon customers’ purchases was donated to the All India Mission As a “evangelical missionary group,” All India Mission allegedly engaged in the unlawful religious activities of disadvantaged children in Northeast India.
CEO of Amazon India commented on the matter
On November 1, the NCPCR (National Commission for Protection of Child Rights) requested that Amit Agarwal, the CEO and senior vice president of Amazon India, appear and address the claims.
Earlier this year, in September, the NCPCR also informed Amazon India of the same problem.
The NCPCR also requested Amazon India in a letter to look into the matter and furnish all the details pertaining to All India Mission and other orphanages that the company funds.
The commission released a statement regarding the summons issued regarding the matter, inquiring about the action that was to be submitted for an action tajen report within seven days. He continued by saying that thus yet, the group had not responded to the situation.
However, Amazon has asked customers if they might choose to make a donation to a charity or organisation of their choice in regions where it does, even though the AmazonSmile programme is not active on the main website. The company asserted that none of the campaign’s participating charities received any support from or assistance from its charity programme, nevertheless.
Amazon was earlier also highlighted in similar issues
Amazon has been involved in similar situations before; in addition, Amazon India was in the news due to religious concerns in the country. For instance, the Hindu Janajagruthi Samithi complained to the Bengaluru-based e-commerce giant in August about a seller who was selling obscene caricatures of Hindu deities on Amazon.
The marketplace division’s net loss dropped by 23% in FY22 from INR 4,748.1 Crore in FY21 to INR 3,649.2 Crore. Additionally, Amazon Pay India’s loss climbed to INR 1,740.8 Crore in FY22, up nearly 15%.
All India Mission: What Is It?
The All India Mission programme is still available through AmazonSmile despite the problem. Olathe, a Kansas suburb and a US state, is home to the corps’ headquarters. But because it was only available to people in India, Inc42 was unable to reach the organization’s official website using the conventional means.
The All India Mission website boasts that it has over 450 churches across Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh, even though the site was only accessible over a VPN. A further claim made on the website is that 25,000 persons in the Northeast have been converted.
The organisation states that it is constructing churches in the Northeast and other regions of the country, and it provides donors with a variety of donation options that vary from $80 (INR 6,618) to $20,000 (INR 16,54,556).
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