By Asia Samachar | Malaysia |
An Indian court has sentenced self-styled Christian preacher and self-proclaimed healer Bajinder Singh to life imprisonment for raping a woman in 2018.
The woman had accused Singh of raping her at his home in the northern state of Punjab, recording the act and using the video later to blackmail her.
The Punjab court verdict, delivered by Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Vikrant Kumar on March 28, found Baljinder guilty under sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
Following the ruling, Singh was immediately taken into custody and transferred to Patiala Jail, according to media reports.
Baljinder, who claims to have milliopns of followers and who calls himself ‘Prophet Baljinder Singh’ on a Youtube channel promiting his church, rose to fame for his evangelist-style preaching and events, where he can be seen “healing” people suffering from serious illnesses by placing his hands on them.
His Church of Glory and Wisdom – which is one of the largest private churches in Punjab – counts some Bollywood stars as followers and says it has branches across the world, reported BBC.
According to his website, the branches are in countries such as the US, UK and Canada.
The preacher, who attends well-attended sessions in sharp suits, is known for giving fiery sermons – often claiming that he can make people extremely wealthy and cure them of illnesses. In many of his viral videos, he can be seen whipping the crowds into a frenzy.
He places his hands on his followers who shake and convulse before claiming to be miraculously healed from whatever is ailing them, the report added.
On April 1, his church had had uploaded a video in which Baljinder is seen raising his hands in prayer and blessings for someone with some illness.
The victim’s lawyer Anil Sagar said the the court had delivered an “exemplary punishment”, adding that leniency in such cases where people use their social position to rape poor and weak people increases the confidence of predators.
The preacher has also been accused of sexual assault by at least two other women. In February, police began an investigation after a former disciple accused him of sexual assault, added the BBC report.
Days later, the Punjab police registered a third case against Singh for allegedly assaulting another woman after a prayer session. He has denied both the allegations.
His churches have also faced financial scrutiny. In January last year, some of them were investigated by India’s income-tax department.
Born in Haryana state in a Hindu family, he reportedly converted to Christianity about 15 years ago when he was in prison. Media reports said he was in jail in connection with a murder case, but he has publicly not commented on it, the report added.
On his ministry’s website, this is what was found today on Baljinder: “My name is Bajinder Singh. I was born on 10/9/1982. My father was a farmer and also used to do a government job, from the eighth grade, some evil forces harassed me, due to which my nature became irritable. I went into the wrong company and for 4-5 years I beat many people, my nature it had happened Because of a big fight, I was in jail for 1.5 years, then I started searching for that god, I could see the demonic powers, she used to kill me even in jail, because of this I also tried to commit suicide.
“My parents and relatives had also separated from me in jail, so I would think of dying due to depression, and at night I would be very scared, I would go out awake all night, and when I was afraid, I would take the names of all the Gods, But still evil forces haunt me. Then someone gave me the Bible.”
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Christian conversion tactics in Panjab (Asia Samachar, 29 Sept 2022)
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From time to time, several Punjab-based Christian missionaries have been accused of raping some women in Punjab. But it’s for the first time that a high profile Christian evangelist (Bajinder Singh, Head of Church of Glory and Wisdom, which is a very large private church of Punjab) has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a woman, and also for using a video to blackmail her. He has also been accused of sexual assault by at least two other women. Moreover, following the allegation of assaulting another woman after a prayer session, the Punjab police registered a third case against him.
A self-proclaimed outstanding healer, Bajinder Singh has claimed to have miraculously cured dozens of patients of their of their serious ailments. One really wonders why he didn’t go to the Vatican to cure Pope Francis of his grave ailments; the Pope is presently using a wheelchair.
The Christian missionaries in Punjab have been using very deceptive, immoral and objectionable methods to convert Punjab’s Dalit Sikhs on a massive scale. These evangelists are working on a war footing for their long term goal of turning Punjab into a Christian majority state, and Punjab is definitely moving speedily in that direction. After Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya, will Punjab become India’s fourth Christian majority province in the future?
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