Amazon Denies ‘Funding’ Organisation Involved In Unlawful Activities

Ecommerce major Amazon denied allegations that it supported an organisation engaged in unlawful religious conversion in the Northeast.

“Amazon India does not have any relationship with All India Mission or its affiliates nor does the AmazonSmile program operate on the Amazon India marketplace,” the US-based ecommerce major said.

The response comes after some Twitter users claimed that a part of the customers’ money at Amazon goes as a donation to the All India Mission. Claiming to be an ‘evangelical missionary organisation’, Twitter users claimed that All India Mission was engaged in unlawful religious conversion of poor children in Northeast India.

Following the claims, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) summoned Amit Agarwal, Amazon India’s head and global senior vice president, to appear before it on November 1 and clarify the reports. The NCPCR also issued a notice to Amazon India in September 2022 over the same issue.

In a letter to Amazon India, the NCPCR requested the ecommerce giant to look into the matter and furnish certain details about All India Mission and other orphanages funded by the company. 

“Further, it was requested that you submit an action taken report, within seven days. However, no reply has been received from your good offices in the matter so far,” the commission said, following which the summons was issued.

Amazon said that users could choose to donate to a charity of their preference where the AmazonSmile programme did operate, as it does not operate on the regular website. The company added that its charitable programme did not endorse the views of any charity participating in the programme.

“How can @amazon so openly support such illegal conversions in India? Govt should enquire!” tweeted TV Mohandas Pai, chairman of Aarin Capital, calling the reports shocking.

Incidentally, this is not the first time Amazon India has gotten itself involved in religious matters within the country. In August, a complaint was filed against the ecommerce giant in Bengaluru by the Hindu Janajagruthi Samithi over a seller selling obscene imagery of Hindu deities.

Amazon’s marketplace business narrowed its net loss by 23% to INR 3,649.2 Cr in FY22 from INR 4,748.1 Cr in FY21. However, Amazon Pay India’s loss rose about 15% to INR 1,740.8 Cr in FY22.

What Is All India Mission?

Even after the controversy, All India Mission still features on the AmazonSmile programme. The charity lists itself as being based in Olathe, a suburban city in Kansas, a state in the US.

While Inc42 was unable to access the organisation’s website via the normal route, as it has restricted access to users in India, the site was accessible using a VPN.

All India Mission’s website claims to have more than 450 churches in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. The website added that the organisation has converted 25,000 people in the Northeast so far.

The organisation has several donation plans, starting from $80 (INR 6,618) to $20,000 (INR 16,54,556) and claims to build churches across the Northeast and other regions of the country.