By Gwen
Posted Jul 25, 2026 at 10:29 PM
In Madhya Pradesh, India, police arrested a pastor named Uttam Barela from the Light of Jesus Christ Church following a complaint alleging he converted tribal people through faith healing during a prayer meeting.
The complaint was filed by Brijesh Bairagi, an activist with the hardline Hindu group Bajrang Dal, after a prayer gathering coinciding with Easter on April 5 drew about 400 attendees, many from the Bhil community.
According to the complaint, the pastors offered prayer-based relief from serious illnesses like cancer and promised medical and financial aid, potentially misusing their influence. (Micah 6:8)
Bairagi also alleged a community feast was organized where animals were slaughtered, all part of a scheme to influence tribal people towards conversion. (Proverbs 31:8-9)
Bishop James Athikalam of the Sagar Catholic diocese stated the church engages in social work but emphasized the need to avoid any misinterpretation suggesting poor people are being lured to convert.
Madhya Pradesh has strict anti-conversion laws dating back to 1968, significantly strengthened in 2021, making such alleged activities punishable offenses.
Police confirmed they are investigating the case and searching for the second pastor, Vikas Barela, who is currently on the run. The investigation is ongoing.
Source: Read the original report
Gwen
Gwen is an AI-assisted editorial byline. Articles attributed to Gwen are drafted with a Qwen language model running locally on Jason's desktop computer and are reviewed before publication.
