Pastor Prakash Singh (L), Pastor Puran Shafri (center) and Jatinder Masih Gaurav of the Punjab State Minority Commission. (Morning Star News)
NEW DELHI (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – The wife of a pastor falsely named in a criminal case in India this week sought the arrest of a Sikh man suspected of setting their church building and residence ablaze on June 14, sources said.
Pastor Prakash Singh, 46, fled his home in Amritsar District, in northwestern India’s Punjab state, in May after the suspected arsonist falsely named him in an assault complaint related to an altercation involving other church members. He has been in hiding since.
Pastor Singh lived in Nawa Pind village. His Sikh neighbor, Jaspal Singh alias Kalu, repeatedly made derogatory remarks about their Christian faith, telling them various times to leave the village “or we will not let you live here peacefully,” Pastor Singh said.
On May 18, an altercation broke out between Kalu and a church member identified only as Rahul, who along with friends were retaliating for Kalu having beaten him the day before. Kalu subsequently filed a complaint of assault at the Jandiala police station against nine people, including Pastor Singh and his 18-year-old son, Anand Singh. A First Information Report (FIR No. 163) was registered on May 28.
Pastor Singh said he was at a construction site, where he works as a daily wage laborer, at the time of the altercation and had witnesses to corroborate it.
When the pastor confronted Kalu’s brother about why he and his son had been named in the FIR, the brother acknowledged their non-involvement. He nonetheless threatened Pastor Singh, saying he would assault the family if they attempted to return home.
“Using the personal altercation as a pretext, Kalu intentionally named Pastor Prakash and his son because of their Christian faith,” Pastor Puran Shafri, chairman of the All India Christian Samaaj Bhalai Dal (Amritsar), told Morning Star News. “We have a voice recording of Kalu’s brother acknowledging the pastor and his son’s innocence.”
The group Shafri heads is a regional organization working for the welfare, social upliftment, and rights of Punjab’s Christian community. He noted that Kalu has multiple prior cases registered against him involving alleged drug trafficking, violations of the Arms Act and other offenses.
Arson
At about 7 p.m. on June 14, while the Singh family was miles away, neighbors informed them that their church building and home had been set on fire.
Local residents and the fire brigade worked together to extinguish the blaze.
The pastor’s wife, Paramjit Kaur, returned the following to find the fire had destroyed furniture, appliances, important personal documents, 16 Bibles and other Christian materials and musical instruments. Cash equivalent to $142 was stolen.
During her visit, Kalu, standing on the first floor of his house, hurled a brick at Kaur as she passed, narrowly missing her, she said. She fled to the police station in a panic, leaving her door open, and filed a report.
A forensic team subsequently investigated the cause of the fire and determined that no electrical current was present in the area at the time of the blaze, ruling out a short circuit and indicating deliberate foul play. The team’s written report has yet to be made public.
A complaint was registered under FIR No. 192 by Kaur against Kalu on June 16, under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, for “Mischief by injury, inundation, fire, or explosive substance.”
Pastor Singh said he believes Kalu “entered the house from the roof and sprinkled a flammable substance, setting the entire place on fire.”
Notably, the FIR makes no reference to the burning of the Bibles or to the religious motive behind the arson, he said.
Shafri called for Kalu to be charged under Punjab’s Sacrilege Law, stating the destruction of religious scriptures warrants prosecution under that statute.
“This falls under Punjab’s ‘Beadbi Law,’ and the perpetrator should be booked under this law,” Shafri told Morning Star News.
Appeal to Authorities
On Sunday (June 28), Pastor Singh, Kaur, Shafri and other Christian leaders approached Jatinder Masih Gaurav, chairman of the Punjab State Minority Commission, with two written petitions.
In the first petition, Kaur stated that additional sections appropriate to the law be added to FIR # 192.
“We have strong reason to believe, and are fully confident, that Jaspal Singh alias Kalu is the sole perpetrator of this act of arson, committed purely out of hatred towards the Christian religion,” Kaur stated, translated from Gurmukhi.
She formally requested registration of an FIR against Jaspal Singh alias Kalu, under appropriate sections of law, with additional charges added to FIR # 192; his immediate arrest and prosecution; adequate security and protection for the family, in light of feared further attacks; and strict legal action for the deliberate destruction of religious scriptures.
The second petition called for the quashing of Pastor Singh’s and Anand Singh’s names from FIR # 163.
The commission has summoned the District Superintendent of Police and the Station House Officer to Chandigarh on July 6 in connection with the matter.
On Wednesday (July 1), the group along with other Christian leaders met Harmandeep Singh Gill, director general of Police, and submitted similar applications requesting action on the false FIR and the arson.
“The DGP assured us that the perpetrator will be arrested and a proper investigation will be conducted for the quashing of Pastor Prakash and Anand’s names,” Shafri told Morning Star News.
The pastor and his wife had lived on the premises with their teenage son and an adult daughter and were in the process of building their residence on the first floor of the church hall. Their congregation, which Pastor Singh established in 2022, draws 35 to 40 members to Sunday services.
India ranked 12th on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, up from 31st in 2013 before Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power.
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- Pastor Prakash Singh (L), Pastor Puran Shafri (center) and Jatinder Masih Gaurav of the Punjab State Minority Commission. (Morning Star News)