The ‘Pray for India Conference 2023,’ scheduled to take place on December 16th and 17th at Palace Grounds, Bengaluru, has been called off due to concerns over visa violations by foreign participants.
The cancellation follows the issue being raised by Girish Bharadwaj, a Swayamsevak and entrepreneur.
He wrote to the Commissioner Bureau of Immigration and FRRO Bengaluru on December 10th, highlighting potential violations of Indian visa norms by foreign preachers.
The event organisers even petitioned the High Court for permission to proceed with the gathering and allow the foreign pastor to preach. However, Hindu activist Girish Bharadwaj submitted an “intervening application” to uphold the legal prohibition against preaching by foreign nationals in India.
Following all this, the organisers officially announced the cancellation of the Pray for India Conference 2023 on December 15th. The statement expressed regret, citing “unexpected and unavoidable circumstances beyond all measure.”
According to Indian visa regulations, foreigners on any visa are prohibited from preaching or propagating their religion in the country. In his letter, Bharadwaj raised concerns about the participation of foreign nationals, especially evangelist Alph Lukau, also known as the ‘apostle of faith’ from Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Pray for India Conference 2023, organised in collaboration with Shalom and the All India Christian Federation, aimed to provide attendees with an opportunity to “experience the power of faith,” subtly referencing the Christian beliefs centred around Jesus Christ.
Lukau, a well-known figure with a substantial following, was scheduled to address the Christian religious event. Notably, Alph Lukau, the scheduled speaker for the event, has faced controversy in the past. In 2019, he gained international attention when he claimed to have resurrected a deceased man during a church service. The incident, captured in a viral video, prompted three funeral homes in South Africa to file lawsuits for reputational harm, alleging that they were deceived by the purported resurrection stunt.
Numerous events of a similar nature are occurring across the country, facilitated by local missionaries. Evangelist Paul Dhinakaran and his family recently participated in a three-day “Faith Healing” festival, attended even by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu. Reports emerged of purported “miracles” unfolding before a sizable audience during the event. Subsequently, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) took notice of these occurrences and filed a complaint against the Director General of Police in Arunachal Pradesh and the Chief Minister. The complaint alleges official endorsement of the purported magical healing by Pastor Paul Dhinakaran among the tribal communities in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, and raises concerns of potential fraud.
It is noteworthy that several such events are taking place in the country with the help of missionaries from here. For example, evangelist Paul Dhinakaran conducted a 3-day “Faith Healing” festival, which saw Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu also in attendance. It came to light that the event saw “miracles” happening in front of a large audience. Subsequently, the child rights Body, NCPCR, took cognisance of this and issued notices to the DGP Arunachal Pradesh & the Chief Minister for officially promoting fake pastor Paul Dhinakaran for his “miraculous healing”.
I am a Pastor and wish to express my extreme disappointment at the lack of foresight and vision of certain sects of the Indian governing bodies.
The church means well. The church has a mandate to be a blessing to God’s people. Those who seek God for miracles; God uses His anointed servants to release His power. Let’s not discredit the anointing and call it all fake. Jesus was raised from the dead miraculously; this is proof in history not only in the sacred scriptures. Let’s not deny our people of India of experiencing the true power of God. We don’t have to crucify and inflict pain on our bodies. This was already experienced by Jesus Christ. Jesus died and rose again for India. Let’s not stand in the way of God wanting to intervene in the affairs of his people.
So basically you want the Indian government to allow missionaries and evangelists to do as they please? Rape and abuse kids, spread hate against Hindu Dharma and all the indigenous religions of Bharat, cheat and loot people, launder money…do all sorts of crimes in the name of ‘fulfilling God’s plan for his people’?
You are free to believe that “Jesus died for you”, but he did not die for the people of India. We in Bharat have known the divine, and man’s relation with the divine, for millennia before Jesus even walked this earth, through a series of enlightened souls known as rishis.
No God dies for humans to atone for their sins. God empowers and blesses us to work out our own liberation from the cycle of life and death – that seed of divinity exists in us all, we just need to clear our minds from illusions and impurities to realize that divinity within. Try it – it is the biggest miracle there is.