Mohali preacher in trouble for using children in superstitious videos

Acting on NCPCR’s directions, the Mohali deputy commissioner has ordered an inquiry into alleged superstitious activities being performed among children by a local preacher

Acting on directions of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Mohali deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan has ordered an inquiry into alleged superstitious activities being performed among children by a local preacher.

The NCPCR wrote to the Mohali administration after taking suo moto note of multiple videos of the preacher with children circulating on social media. (Representative image)

A self-proclaimed pastor, Bajinder Singh runs the Church of Glory and Wisdom at Majri in Mohali district. He was earlier in news after his followers clashed with locals over harvesting of wheat crop at Boothgarh village in Majri in April this year.

Stay tuned with breaking news on HT Channel on Facebook. Join Now

The commission took suo moto note of the case after it came across a Twitter link to a video of Bajinder’s activities. A boy is seen crying in the video and the body language of both the pastor and the child seem unusual, the commission noted. On further examination, the commission found there were a number of such videos available on social media.

“Prime facie, it appears that such videos circulating superstition and using children for such a purpose is a violation of the Juvenile Justice Act 2015,” the NCPCR said in its letter to the deputy commissioner (DC), while also noting flouting of Covid-19 norms as participants were without masks and not following social distancing.

The commission has asked the DC to submit a report within seven days. The letter was originally sent to the Chandigarh DC, but as the area falls under Mohali district, it was forwarded to Dayalan. The DC said Kharar subdivisional magistrate Akash Bansal will conduct the inquiry and submit a report within seven days.

Church of Glory and Wisdom president Avtar Singh called the allegations “totally baseless”. “Some people are trying to malign the image of our church. We will give a proper reply with evidence to the inquiry officer and the child rights commission. ,” he said.