In Nagaland, outrage over child sexual abuse case against pastor reflects generational shift

Early in October, news broke that a senior pastor of a Dimapur church had been booked under the child sexual abuse prevention law.

It sent ripples of shock in Naga society.

In a letter dated September 19, which was made public only after the allegations came to the fore, the board of the Father’s House Church in Chümoukedima announced the resignation of senior pastor Robert Kikon after his “immoral acts” were uncovered. “[He] will no longer be serving in any capacity of the Church nor is he to represent us in any manner,” read the letter.

Outrage ensued online and among Naga society, with calls for justice for the survivors.

On October 5, several weeks after the allegations emerged, the Father’s House Church filed a police complaint against Kikon. “The case has been registered based on the complaint filed by the Church and investigation is ongoing,” Khekali Y Sumi, Dimapur deputy commissioner of police (crime), told Scroll on October 30.

Another police official, who did not want to be identified, told Scroll that the charges against Kikon include sections under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. “The victims are minors and they are males,” he said.

According to the official, after social media posts alleging abuse, the police also took cognisance and made inquiries. “At the same time the Church also came with the complaint and we started our investigation,” said the official. Kikon is suspected to have fled the country, said the police. “We are not able to ascertain his whereabouts.”

Church bodies in the state have reacted sharply. The Nagaland Baptist Church Council, the highest authority for 1,724 local and tribal churches in the state, said Kikon’s actions are “inexcusable”. Rev Zelhou Keyho, general secretary of the Council, told Scroll that Kikon had “committed a crime against humanity not just against the church”.

“It was…a pure abuse and use of leadership power and influence on the innocents,” said Keyho. “He has sinned against God and the crime has to be dealt with as per the law. We can not just say ‘forget and forgive, we are Christians’.”

This is a paradigm shift.

Christianity and the institution of the Church are closely intertwined with every aspect of Naga society and identity. The scale of outrage and the broader conversation it has sparked, reflects a generational change in how such matters are dealt with, say residents and scholars. Yet, they said, it is also the first step on a long road towards change and demanding accountability.

Silence to public outrage

The board of Father’s House Church, to which Kikon belonged, had been dealing with the allegations of abuse since late August. Keyho of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council told Scroll that some children told their parents they did not want to go to the church or see Kikon.

“It has been happening for an extended period of time,” said Keyho. “We don’t know since when... Eventually, the matter came out because these young people could not tolerate anymore.” The church then took some time to “ascertain the facts”, said Keyho.

The Board of Father’s House Church had a meeting between September 19 and 22, following which it sought Kikon’s resignation. The board of Father’s House Church also approached the Asia Harvest Alliance, a union of independent churches in Nagaland, seeking advice and help, informing it of Kikon’s “immoral” activities.

But it was only after the allegations gained traction online that the board of Father’s House Church confirmed that Kikon had resigned. As Keyho of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council noted, the official condemnations became public because of the pressure of social media and news reports.

A Dimapur resident from the locality where the Father’s House Church is situated, said sexual abuse is a taboo topic that is simply not discussed. “The Church doesn’t like to talk about sexual abuse,” said the resident, who claims to know Robert Kikon.

“Naga society is a fairly traditional society,” said Beni Sumer Yanthan, who teaches at Nagaland University. Sexual violence has always been a difficult conversation to have, said Yanthan. “Primarily because of the degree of stigma attached to it and what it causes to unravel – a literal and metaphorical bloodbath.”

Yanthan pointed out that Nagaland has a precedent of sexual violence against women and children being mediated through customary law, or the church dispensing “justice”. “A lot of times people make up through customary laws that do little to address or prevent such issues,” said Yanthan.

Another Dimapur resident said the unusual open discussion that this episode has sparked is because of the “degree of depravity” of the allegations. “People have started talking more openly about the church institution, about many things, including sexual abuse,” said the person who did not wish to be identified. “Even churches are talking about it.” The person felt that this shows how churches are changing for the better.

Keyho of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council said: “The church has a responsibility to file cases. We will also encourage the people to file reports with the police.”

Keyho further said that should such an instance come to the fore among the churches of the council, it will withdraw “all the rights and privileges of leadership”. “Such crimes should face the law and people should bear the consequences,” said Keyho, adding that there should be education and awareness about this.

A senior church official, too, told Scroll that the Father’s House Church filing the FIR shows that it has taken a firm stance on the matter. Responding to a query on why the parents did not approach the police, he said it may probably have been to protect their children. “And this I believe is the right approach for taking the responsibility.”

Yanthan said the response to the allegations against the pastor marked “a paradigm shift in the way social principles are being invoked”. “People have become much more perceptive of these pressing issues that are symptomatic of social ills and have started asking the difficult questions,” said Yanthan.

Naga anthropologist and scholar Dolly Kikon pointed out that a generational shift was evident. “In my lifetime, I have gradually witnessed a rage against sexual violence in Naga society,” wrote Kikon. “This is the voice of a generation who are refusing to hide the sins of their society and moving away from the problematic Naga problem, ‘Let us not wash our dirty laundry in public’.”

Is it enough?

Even so, there has been criticism of the manner in which the church and religious authorities are handling the issue. For instance, the statement of the board of Father’s House Church said that it is “working to ensure that he [pastor] receives the counselling necessary for his personal healing and repentance”.

There is also the matter of inaction despite being aware of the pastor’s “inappropriate behaviour” as far back as 2017. The Asia Harvest Alliance, a union of independent churches in Nagaland, which Robert Kikon was a member of until 2019, said that it had confronted him about allegations against him in 2017 and 2019. “None of the reports we received in 2017 and 2019 involved minors or physical molestations,” it emphasised, while categorising Kikon’s behaviour as “homosexual tendencies”. This, however, is a homophobic attempt to portray abuse as perverted behaviour that can be blamed on an individual rather than the systemic problem that it is.

In the same statement, the alliance sought for “prayers, love and forgiveness” to be extended to the former pastor “who must now face the consequences of his decisions”. “This is a time when so many need the healing and grace that only God can provide and the most merciful thing we can do in such times is to pray for all the parties,” the Asia Harvest Alliance said.

Some pointed out that the church should push for justice and accountability rather than seek prayers for the healing of the accused.

“The church thinks that it is the law, the highest authority that will decide what is rape, what is molestation and what is sin or not sin,” said the Dimapur resident from the same locality as the Father’s House Church. “The churches think they are much above the law,” said the resident.

Nagaland daily Morung Express, in an editorial published on October 6, wrote that “it is insensitive to prioritise the spiritual well-being of an accused abuser over addressing the pain and suffering of the victims”.

The Dimapur resident alleged that the pastor was protected by local religious as well as state authorities. “The church could have done a lot of things but it did not as it knew years before but as long as money was flowing they were good,” the resident said.

Scholar Yanthan, however, says though there is a long way to go in tackling the matter, Robert Kikon’s case will be important. “The outcome will, I believe, be pivotal in building, reconstituting or altering social behaviour and response towards sexual violence.”