Pastor who claims to 'heal' AIDS convicted in rape case
What's the story
Self-styled "Yeshu Yeshu prophet" Pastor Bajinder Singh has been convicted in a rape case from 2018. The Punjab court in Mohali convicted him, while five other co-accused were let off. Singh was arrested from Delhi Airport in July 2018 when he was attempting to leave the country. He was accused of raping her after luring her on the pretext of offering assistance to travel overseas.
Court proceedings
Singh's sentencing set for April 1
His sentencing will be heard on April 1. More cases of alleged sexual assault and physical harm against him have surfaced in the last few weeks. Just days ago, a case was filed against him after a video of him physically attacking a man and woman in his office surfaced. The woman, identified as Ranjeet Kaur, later told the police that she was slapped when she tried to intervene in an argument.
New charges
Additional allegations and recent incidents
"When I stopped him [Pastor Bajinder Singh] from hitting a person present there, he hit me with a notebook," she said. In late February, a 22-year-old woman had also filed a case against him, accusing him of sexual harassment, stalking, and criminal intimidation in Punjab's Jalandhar district. The complainant alleged she had been subjected to inappropriate advances from Singh since she was 17.
Evidence
Singh has nearly three million social media followers
Singh, who runs the Church of Glory and Wisdom in Tajpur, Jalandhar, had claimed innocence and said the allegations were conspiracies to hinder his religious work. Hailing from Haryana, Singh rose to fame through claims of miraculous healings. He claims he can cure cancer and AIDS, and videos of Singh singing Mera Yeshu Yeshu at religious gatherings while healing the diseases are widely shared on Instagram reels.