On August 29, Nihang Sikhs disrupted a Christian program in Village Daduana near Jandiala Guru in the Amritsar district of Punjab, over allegations of forced conversion. The Police were informed about the incident, after which senior officials reached the spot and pacified the situation. The Police assured the Nihang Sikh groups that Christian programs would not take place in the village in the future.
Christian missionaries beaten up badly by Nihangs in Amritsar. pic.twitter.com/T35jQ82ogm
— Rakesh Krishnan Simha (@ByRakeshSimha) August 29, 2022
As per reports, a Christian religious program was taking place in village Daduana. A group of Nihang Sikhs disrupted the program and blocked access to the place where the event was happening. They alleged that the organizers had been running a conversion program in the name of prayer sessions for the past few months. They further alleged that despite the resistance from the locals, no one from the administration took any action. Hence, they themselves had to come and take appropriate action against the conversion program.
The Nihang Sikhs further claimed that the organizers are themselves unaware of Christianity. They make their relatives sit during the programs to lure people and get them converted. Following the intervention from the Police, the religious leaders from the village sat together and pacified the situation.
Visuals from the spot show that the Nihang Sikhs stopped the program and threw away chairs. Speaking to Sikh News Express, a Nihang Sikh leader said, “They prepare their relatives beforehand and guide them on what to say and how to behave during the program to lure more people to Christianity.” In the video, a poster of Pastor Sukhwinder Raja was visible but the date mentioned was June 24, 2022. It is unclear if the event was being organized by the people linked to his ministry or not.
The Sikh leader further said, “They use women to distribute pamphlets in the nearby villages. We filed a complaint against them six months ago. However, the administration assured us today that no such programs will happen again in the village.” He further requested all Sikh religious groups in Punjab to come together and fight against such superstitions. He said, “It does not matter which religion the priests belong to. They can be from Sikhism, Christianity, or any other religion. If they are indulging in promoting superstitions, we have to stop them to save our state and religion.”
When asked about the assurance from the Police, he said, “I have complete trust in the administration. They will listen to both parties and take an informed decision.”
SP Jaswant Kaur informed the media that the Police talked to both sides, and they reached a solution peacefully. She added, “Every religion has the right to preach its teachings. Our gurus have taught us to live peacefully with all religions.” She said the Christian group took the land on lease from the Sarpanch for a year.
OpIndia tried to contact the Nihang Sikh group and Police for further information but could not reach them.
Local protests against Christian programs in Punjab
This is not the first time locals have resisted Christian programs in their areas. In May 2022, OpIndia published an exclusive report on how locals from Dhakoli, Punjab, resisted missionary programs in a locality. Members of Hindu organizations and local BJP leaders joined hands and protested against the Christian program. Notably, no locals were involved in that program that continued for two days.
