A frustrating situation has emerged as more than 30 days have passed without filing an FIR against a local church in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, accused of engaging in fraudulent conversions from Hinduism to Christianity.
Earlier we had reported on this church in HP, the Church of Sign and Wonder, and its Punjab-based pastor. Since February 2022, the church faced scrutiny due to its social media claims of miraculous healings, including the resurrection of a supposedly deceased baby in pregnancy. These assertions have led to accusations of fraud and deceit.
Law student Rohit Katwal from Himachal Pradesh has taken action by filing a formal complaint against three entities:
- Individuals claiming miraculous healings.
- The Palampur Church.
- Pastor Ankur Narula of the Ankur Narula Ministries from Punjab.
Katwal’s complaint aims to halt what he perceives as ongoing conversion activities, alleging violations of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act of 2019. Notably, Katwal does not consider those claiming miraculous healings as victims but as active participants in a fraudulent conversion scheme, accusing them of luring innocent Hindus towards conversion and discouraging them from seeking medical treatment.
Katwal escalated efforts by submitting the complaint to various authorities, including the local Superintendent of Police (SP), Director General of Police (DGP), Governor, and Home Ministry. He advocates for medical examinations of individuals involved to verify the authenticity of their claims and seeks legal action if fraud is confirmed. In a unique proposal, Katwal suggests that if the pastor and church possess genuine healing abilities, the government should consider offering them positions in prestigious medical institutions.
The modus operandi of missionaries and preachers is their systematic scheme of converting Hindus into Christians or “Crypto-Christians,” impacting the region’s social fabric.
Despite the allegations and complaints, the Bhawarna Police Investigating Officer has refused to file an FIR, citing that only the Superintendent of Police (SP) has the authority to do so. Furthermore, the complainant, Rohit Katwal, said in his post on social media platform X that the Investigating Officer in Palampur has been stalling the process by requesting additional information, such as the church’s location, jurisdiction, and the identification of a local victim, without actually filing the FIR.
Katwal also accuses the police department of sharing his details with the church and its associates to pressure him to withdraw the complaint. The revealing of personal details has put his life in danger and exposed his identity.
As of October 3, 2023, no FIR had been filed in the case, prompting concerns about the delay in taking legal action. A week later, another call was received from the Palampur Police Station, where no FIR had yet been initiated. Authorities continued to emphasise the need for specific location details of the church and the presence of a local victim.
This situation has raised two primary suspicions:
- Concerns that the police may be attempting to close the case by avoiding filing an FIR, potentially due to the belief that the church’s address does not exist.
- The absence of a local victim leads to questions about who the real victim is in this complex case, with allegations that the complainant himself may be facing personal challenges due to the ongoing investigation.
While the constitution allows any citizen to practice, preach, and propagate their religion, doing this using fraud should bring about severe repercussions since it propagates fake claims with the sole aim of converting Hindus to Christianity.
The delay and denial in filing an FIR by making the complainants go around in circles while being aware of the fact that the church is carrying out conversions makes one question whether they have already converted themselves or if someone else is involved who is wielding more power.
