Jaibans Singh
Punjab has, since millennia, been home to a number of religious communities. The region takes pride in its diversity and has always remained open to the coexistence of different religions and faiths.
In the mid-19th century, Punjab became a part of the British Empire and evangelist efforts by Christian missionaries gained momentum. Christians are now settled all across Indian Punjab but are more concentrated in Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Firozepur Districts.
When Christian missionaries first landed in India three centuries ago, conversions were promoted through preaching the Gospel and abusing Hindu Gods and Hindu ways of worship.
This was followed up by setting up educational institutions and hospitals through which a combination of service and propagation of the religion were carried out
Right to Freedom of Religion
In the vibrant Indian democracy, every individual has the right to pursue his own faith. However, the propagation of a religion in an unprincipled manner mostly with assistance of of magic, miracles and faith healing that exploits the vulnerabilities of people is unethical and in some instances against the law of the country
The problem is being posed by suspicious, and sometimes fraudulent methods being applied by certain new age pastors of the Christian faith, mostly following the Pentecostal Church, to exploit and loot innocent people in the name of Christianity and also compel them to convert to the Christian faith.
The Christian Dera Culture
Presently, Punjab is witnessing rapid proliferation of Christian Deras (Communes). Normal people with limited education in Christian theology or sanction to preach, are becoming self-styled Prophets, Apostles and Pastors of these Deras.
The Deras and their chief’s are earning huge amounts of money and have tremendous power. Over time these dubious Christian missionaries have stepped up efforts towards converting poor Punjabis of rural areas. Churches have mushroomed in villages across the state
- Dera Babas publish false and insulting information about other religions to attract people to Christianity.
- They wear saffron clothes like Hindu priests and depict Jesus doing Yoga.
- Churches are being constructed in the shape of temples and Gurdwaras
- Christian Hymns are being sung in the form of the Sikh Kirtan
- A body by the name of Shiromani Church Parbhandak Committee has been created.
The target for conversion are people from lower strata of society, particularly Dalits, who are tempted with everything from money to healing chronic illnesses, free education, healthcare, compensation, and fulfilment of other needs in return for converting to Christianity
The History of Christianity
In the first century AD a Jewish preacher and religious leader named Jesus was born. With time he created his own ministry like the Dera of modern times.
Jesus debated with his fellow Jews on how best to follow God. He engaged in healings, taught in parables, and gathered followers, among whom twelve were appointed as his chosen apostles. He performed miracles, founded the Christian Church. People believed that Jesus was the Son of God and awaited messiah, or Christ
The Jewish priests looked at him as a threat and instigated the ruling Romans against him by saying that he had proclaimed himself as the King of the Jews, which the Romans viewed as a challenge to their authority.
Jesus was crucified by the Romans because the Roman authorities, specifically Pontius Pilate, believed he was a threat to Roman rule.
Despite facing persecution under Roman emperors, early Christians maintained their faith and actively spread the message of Christianity. Christianity gained popularity 400 years after the death of Jesus. Emperor Constantine of Rome had a vast Empire whose people believed in different Gods. He thought of integrating the Empire through a single religion and chose Christianity
Constantine’s conversion to Christianity in the early 4th century was a pivotal moment. He legalized the religion, granted it imperial favor, and eventually made it the state religion of the Roman Empire.
Christianity rose from a small Jewish sect in the 1st century to the dominant religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th century
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Catholicism is the largest branch of Christianity, with about 1.3 billion followers worldwide, and is headquartered in Vatican City. Catholics believe in one God who exists in three persons: The Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. The Catholic Pope leads the Church from Vatican City.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar as its main hub of Catholics in Punjab. The diocese includes several parishes and mission stations across the state.
St. Mary’s Cathedral in Jalandhar serves as the seat of the bishop of the diocese. Besides Jalandhar, the diocese includes numerous parishes and mission stations throughout Punjab, in Barnala, Jundan Village, Majri, and Bhaddalthua
Baptism in the Catholic Faith
The process of becoming Catholic involves a structured program called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
- Individuals interested in becoming Catholic typically begin by contacting a Catholic parish and expressing their interest
- After an initial period of inquiry, those interested may be accepted into the RCIA process through a formal Rite of Acceptance.
- Then comes the Catechumenate stage which involves formal instruction and spiritual formation through classes, study, and prayer.
- On the Easter Vigil, the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion are celebrated and the aspirants are baptised
Major Catholic Institutions in Punjab
- Joseph’s Convent School, Phagwara:
- Sacred Heart Convent School Sarabha Nagar, Ludhiana:
- Christian Medical College, Ludhiana:
THE PROTESTANT CHURCH
Protestantism collectively refers to the many Christian religious groups that separated from the Roman Catholic Church due to differences in doctrine.
The Protestant Reformation was a religious reform movement that swept through Europe in the 1500s. It was initiated in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517, by Martin Luther, a teacher and a monk. He challenged the Catholic Church’s role as intermediary between people and God
It emphasizes the Bible as the ultimate authority, the priesthood of all believers, and salvation through faith alone. Protestantism encompasses numerous denominations, including Lutheran, Calvinist, Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal, among others.
Key Protestant Institutions in Punjab:
- Church of North India (CNI): The largest Protestant denomination in northern India, including Punjab. Its headquarters are in New Delhi
- United Church of Northern India (UCNI): A significant Protestant denomination in northern India.
- Methodist Church: A prominent Protestant denomination with a presence in Punjab.
- Presbyterian Church: A historical Protestant denomination with congregations in Punjab.
- The Ludhiana Mission, established in 1834 played a big role in spreading Christianity in Punjab.
- Mary’s Cathedral, Jalandhar
- The Diocese of Jalandhar manages various educational institutions and ministries in Punjab.
Protestant Educational Institutions:
- Trinity College Affiliated to Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU and run by the Diocesan Board of Jalandhar.
- North India Institute of Theological Studies, Chandigarh
- Punjab Bible College, Ludhiana
Baptism in Protestant Churches
- Individuals considering conversion contact a pastor at their local church
- Protestantism emphasizes studying of the Bible a key part of the conversion process
- Confirmation is a ceremony where individuals publicly reaffirm their faith and receive the laying on of hands.
- A public affirmation of faith is necessary
- Participating in worship services and other church activities.
Note – Most of the new converts in Punjab are not following the correct procedure of Baptism. They mostly do not do public affirmation. They carry on with their earlier identity and do not change their religion in the records.
PENTECOSTAL CHURCH (CHARISMATIC CHRISTIANITY)
A growing and diverse movement within Protestantism, including groups like the Church of Signs and Wonders. Many other independent Protestant churches and ministries operate within Punjab.
The Pentecostal movement emerged in the early 20th century in Los Angeles, America. Pentecostals hold the Bible as the inspired word of God and the foundation for their beliefs. It has spread rapidly throughout the world, particularly in developing countries, becoming one of the fastest-growing Christian movements
Pentecostalism emphasizes a personal experience of God through the Holy Spirit. It emphasizes a personal and emotional relationship with God, often expressed through expressive worship and testimonies.
It says that believers can receive spiritual gifts, prophecy, healing, and discerning spirits, as evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence.
Pentecostal Church in Punjab
A wave of Charismatic Christianity, particularly Pentecostalism, has gained significant traction in Punjab.
The Pentecostal pastors in Punjab have built massive financial empires by selling their recipe of miracle cures in the name of Jesus Christ. They have perfected the art of exploiting the weakness of gullible people.
Funds are also coming from foreign establishments. They have a big network of churches, training colleges etc in Punjab.
They also have tremendous social media presence and publish huge volumes of literature that is distributed free of cost.
The narrative of atrocities on Dalits is also freely used in engineering conversion activity among the weaker sections of society.
Priority in Christian institutions to Pentecostal Followers
While Christian institutions prioritize the enrolment of Christian students, they often do so based on a broader Christian identity rather than a specific denominational affiliation. So, Pentecostal dear Chiefs do not have any say in the formal Christian education institutions in Punjab
THE CONVERSION PROCESS IN PUNJAB
Most of the early conversions were from the Hindu community, but now, a majority of the converts are from among the Sikhs.
Those thronging “Jehovah da Mandir” want a dignified life. They are looking for miracles to help them overcome their problems and live a good life.
- “Divine displeasure” is put forth to induce people to convert to Christianity.
- The lure of migration is used as the bait.
- There are also reports of use of force to engineer conversion.
- The fraudulent Christian Baba’s use dubious techniques like show of miracles and give guarantees of cure from terminal illness etc to attract innocent people
- The ‘Atrocities on Dalit’ narrative is the bedrock of all conversion activities both for justifying conversions and seeking donations to fund conversions.
Many cultural aspects of Punjab have been adopted for the transition in a smooth, comfortable, and lucrative manner. Terms such as Satsangs, Langars, Isu gurdwara and Jehovah da mandir have been introduced. From Tappe to Gidda and Boliyan in the praise of Jesus in Punjab all is done.
Charges are fixed for different categories of prayers. Funds are garnered from abroad through fabricated and misinformation campaigns.
Distribution of aid is made conditional on accepting Christianity or listening to Bible/Gospel meetings each time they are given medical aid or nutrition support. Even under the Covid-19 crisis, food/rations were given out only after the recipients went through Bible preaching.
This is a deviation from established religious ethos and tradition of the Church and is also resulting in blatant exploitation of the emotions and sentiments of people in the name of Christianity and more critically, Jesus Christ.
Unlike the mainstream churches, the presence of new Pentecostal churches gives the new entrants a sense of community as compared to the deep-rooted nature of caste in the region. The aspirants are a mix of migratory population, including the Dalits
THE PERSONA OF NEW GENERATION DERA BABA’S
The new Christian Dera Baba’s are mostly first generation converts from among Hindus and Sikhs and from different castes like Jats, Khatris etc.
They are media savvy and have a considerable presence in various mediums of social media, especially You Tube, Face Book, Twitter and Instagram.
While on stage they behave like rock stars complete with music, props and attendant drama.
Interestingly, they have not changed their original names or removed their Hindu caste from their names. They are also quite okay with taking turbaned followers in their fold. The business is so lucrative that more and more are taking to it by the day.
Bajinder Singh
Bajinder Singh, a self-proclaimed “Prophet” of the Christian faith, was sentenced to imprisonment for the “remainder part of his life” along with a fine of Rs. 1 lakh, on 01 April 2025, by the additional session court, Mohali for repeated raping a woman. The case was filed against him in 2018.
Even as his rape case was going on, the Kapurthala police booked Bajinder Singh for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman. The woman, who was his disciple, reported that he touched her inappropriately on multiple occasions. She also alleged that he often sent her inappropriate text messages and threatened her with dire consequences if she narrated these conversations and incidents to anyone.
Earlier, in 2022, a Delhi family alleged that Bajinder had taken money from them for treating, through prayers, their daughter, who was suffering from cancer but had not done so.
Bajinder Singh originally belongs to Haryana. He is a convicted felon who has served a jail term on charges of murder. He professes that he got influenced by Jesus Christ and converted to Christianity while in jail.
He became a self-styled preacher in 2012 and gained popularity on the basis of his claims of ‘miracle healing’ of diseases like paralysis, cancer and mental disorders among others. As he gained popularity he created his own “Glory and Wisdom Church” which now has two main branches in Punjab, at Tajpur (Jalandhar) and Majri (Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar). He professes to have nearly 30 lakh followers worldwide, though most are from Punjab.
Bajinder Singh has declared himself a Prophet and placed himself above the other pastors. While a pastor provides spiritual guidance, a prophet professes direct connection with God and delivers God’s revelations to the people. As a prophet, Bajinder Singh emphasised his divine inspiration and ability to drive away evil spirits and carry out healing with a supernatural manifestation.
Interestingly, Christianity has not recognised any prophets since Jesus is deemed to have given the final revelation as the son of God. Bajinder, therefore, is going against the basic teachings of Christianity
Ultimately, Bajinder Singh turned out to no better than the many Babas (Godmen) of Punjab and neighbouring areas who are already languishing in jail for similar acts of rape and murder.
There are many who are taking on the role of Christian Babas not out of love for the religions but as a business proposition to earn millions by exploiting poor people with misinformation.
Ankur Narula
Ankur Narula is another big name in this conversion process. He was born in a Hindu Khatri family. But, he converted to Christianity in 2008 after coming in contact with Christian missionaries.
Initially, the number of people associated with this church was only 3. But, in the last 14 years, this number has crossed the figure of 3 lakh.
After this, he founded Ankur Narula Ministry and then also started the Church of Signs and Wonders.
Ankur Narula has established his empire of conversion in an area of more than 65 acres in Khambra village. Apart from this, he has bases in nine districts of Punjab, Bihar and Bengal as well as America, Canada, Germany and Harrow of Greater London.
It is being claimed that his church under construction in Jalandhar will be the largest church in Asia once it is completed.
New Churches in Punjab
Apart from Bajinder Singh and Ankur Narula there are many others following this path in Punjab and earning millions. Some significant names are. Amrit Sandhu, Kanchan Mittal, Raman Hans, Gurnam Singh Kheda, Harjeet Singh, Sukhpal Rana and Faris Masih.
Not only in Jalandhar, but also in Amritsar, missionaries have turned Sikhs into ‘turbaned Christians. The pastor of the Amritsar Church is Gurnam Singh who is also a policeman. Prayers are held in this church on Sundays. Gurnam Singh claims that he only conducts prayers. But the question is that if he only conducts prayers then how are people becoming Christians?
The Open Door Church in Khojewal village of Kapurthala district is of Eastern European Protestant design. The pastor of this church, Harpreet Deol, is a Jat Sikh.
Similarly, surgeon-pastor Gurnam Singh Kheda of Harpura village in Batala is also a Jat Sikh.
Pastor Mittal of the Church of Peace in Banur, Patiala is a Bania.
Raman Hans of Chamkaur Sahib is a religious Sikh.
CHALLENGING THE CONVERSION PROCESS
On several occasions, the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has convened meetings of representatives of the Sikh and the Christian communities. Representatives of the Christian Church say that they are against conversion through fraudulent means and false promises of miraculous healing, cash incentives etc. Yet, the office bearers of the traditional Christian Church are taking no action to stop the same.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) had been under criticism, mainly from the Sikh community, for not doing enough to “protect” the faith. The SGPC, in September-October 2021, launched a campaign named ‘Ghar Ghar Andar Dharamsaal’ wherein 100 teams, each comprising seven preachers, were deputed for the rural belts to preach and reiterate Sikh tenets.
Apart from cosmetic initiatives as above, the SGPC has not come up with any concrete action plan to counter this falsity being spread in the name of religion. SGPC must ensure that the people get the right information which saves them from succumbing to religious fraud in their moments of weakness.
Those converting must understand that mainline churches have a constitution and set norms for becoming pastors, bishops, etc.
There is a difference between an untrained and a trained/disciplined pastor. One should verify and satisfy oneself before proceeding further.
The Dera Gurus may not be fully baptised Christians themselves. Mostly they have no formal education in Christian theology
Summary
While the census puts the Christian population in Punjab at about one or two percent, there is a perception that the percentage has now risen to 7-10 percent and is rapidly rising
Punjab universally believes that the spreading wave of artificial conversion is not good for the state and its people, especially so, when it constitutes a blatant exploitation of the socio-religious vulnerabilities of a weak and marginalised section of the Punjabi society.
Punjab, unlike many other states of the country, does not have an anti-conversion law. Even though there is demand for the same from some quarters,
A fall in the standard and standing of Sikh religious institutions is a big reason for this conversion. The thrust towards providing spiritual nourishment to the Sikh community and using its ample funds for the progress and prosperity of the community is missing.
The second reason is social and political apathy towards the Dalits, the poor and the marginalised in a complete departure from the religious tenets which are based on equality and justice as preached by the Sikh Gurus.
The disastrous impact of conversions on national integration, social and religious harmony have already been experienced across the country. Converts to Christianity are concealing their change of religion to make use of the Constitutional benefit of reservations in jobs/educational institutions and other benefits available to SC/OBCs.
It is the responsibility of the Government, civil society, role models and religious leaders of Punjab to ensure that the people do not fall prey to unethical religious practices being carried out by people with doubtful credentials. This can be done best by educating the people with facts and logic and then leaving them to take whatever decision they wish to take as far as their religious preference is concerned.
Conclusions
The Christian presence in Punjab goes back to more than a century and a half. Since ages, Punjabi Christian have followed the traditional Churches, mainly the Catholic Diocese and the Protestant Church of North India.
The above two Churches, the off-shoots of the Protestant Church, especially the Methodists, the Salvation Army and recently the Pentecostal all remain separate entities independent of each other.
In Punjab there are many Churches that are not affiliated with the Catholics or the Protestants. They, as such, have no legal recognition and cannot draw aid from any government. They are basically business establishments that would probably fall in the face of a close legal scrutiny.
The many Christian Churches do not share their assets with each other which implies that an institution run by one Church does not give reservation or special facility to the followers of the other Churches.
Propagation of the Christian faith and conversion practices by the traditional Churches are well defined and structured. Any attempt to wards non-formal conversion is likely to cause legal and identity problems to the convert.
Charisma and faith healing is practised by most religions, however, in the modern world and with the opening up of medical insurance to the Union government through the Ayushman Bharat scheme, it would be best to follow the scientific route for treatment rather than depend on miracles.
It is necessary for new converts to understand the Church that they are planning to join, especially its religious, legal and social identity.
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