Christians protest in Jalandhar over FIR against pastor Bajinder Singh

Jalandhar: Members of the Christian community staged a protest on the highway near Tajpur in Jalandhar’s Lambada area on Sunday, opposing an FIR filed against Pastor Bajinder Singh of ‘The Church of Glory and Wisdom.’ The case, registered by Kapurthala police, accuses him of sexual harassment.

Protesters claimed that while the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) had assured them of support, lower-ranking officers failed to act against the accused.

Christian leader Avtar Singh, who joined the protest, alleged that the FIR against Bajinder Singh was part of a conspiracy. He also criticized the police for not arresting Vijay and Chandan, accused in a separate case.

On Saturday, a woman accused the pastor of inappropriate behavior, stating that he took her phone number when her family began attending his church in October 2017.

She alleged that in 2022, he began calling her alone to his cabin every Sunday and touched her inappropriately. Fearing him, she refrained from speaking out earlier.

The police have booked Bajinder Singh under sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).