Madhya Pradesh: Five people try to forcibly convert Hindu couple in Jabalpur under guise of medical treatment, all are linked to Ankur Narula Ministries; Read FIR details

On 29th June, Jabalpur police registered an FIR against five persons named Preeti, Hariom, Namita Raikwar, Kavita Raikwar and Nikita Raikwar on the complaint of a Hindu couple for pressuring them to convert to Christianity in exchange for a promise of curing their ailing daughter. The complaint has been filed by Nikita Yadav at Adhartal police station. The couple also alleged that the accused took away jewellery and Rs 2 lakh during the process.

Content of the FIR

OpIndia accessed a copy of the FIR. The FIR has been registered under Sections 318(4), 351(2) and 3(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 3 and 5 of Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act. In her complaint, Nikita said that around a year ago, her daughter fell ill. During that time, she came in contact with Preeti and Hariom who live near her maternal aunt’s house. They told her to keep visiting them regularly and follow their instructions to ensure their daughter recovered properly.

They asked the couple to pray to Jesus Christ and claimed that their daughter would be healed through this. They also gave the couple some suspicious medicines and referred to them as the “blood of Jesus”, which they made both her and her husband consume.

Nikita further added that they kept the child with them at times and took them to a pond beyond Tilwara to forcibly immerse them as part of religious rituals aimed at conversion. They even took the couple to Punjab twice against their will, claiming that Nikita’s daughter would recover if taken to Ankur Narula’s church in Punjab.

Over the course of a year, the accused took Rs 2 lakh in cash and jewellery worth another 2 lakh. They have been continuously pressuring the couple to convert. Around 10–15 days ago, Preeti and Hariom came to their house and threatened that if they did not accept their religion, their lives would be in danger.

Their associates Namita Raikwar, Kavita Raikwar and Nikita Raikwar also visited the victim’s house to collect money and repeated threats regarding their safety if they did not convert.

VHP protests at police station

When members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal came to know about the incident, they staged a protest outside the Adhartal police station on 30th June and demanded the immediate arrest of the accused. They asserted that there is a pattern of targeting financially vulnerable Hindu families by offering them fake treatment, medication and monetary inducements in exchange for religious conversion.

The matter is under investigation and police have assured that appropriate legal action will be taken against those found guilty.

Ankur Narula ministry and its missionary activities in Punjab

Ankur Yoseph Narula was raised in Jalandhar by a Hindu Khatri business family. He was profoundly influenced by sermons of South African preachers. Narula claims that Jesus invited him to become a Christian in a dream. In 2008, he established his ministry and had just three adherents. With over 100,000 Sunday attendees and lakhs of global memberships, it is one of the largest churches in Punjab.

On YouTube, he has over 2.7 million subscribers, a whopping one million increase in just three years. Narula calls himself a faith healer and asserts that he has the power to cure any illness, including cancer, arthritis and even the dead. Although he likes the word “Apostle”, his fans refer to him as “Papa”.

Narula has been known for controversies for a long time. In 2020, a complaint against him was filed for alleged FCRA violation. The complaint was filed against the Spiritual Welfare Society by Legal Rights Observatory with the Union Home Ministry seeking cancellation of the FCRA licence over allegations of money laundering and religious proselytisation. The organisation was linked to Narula.

In 2021, VHP alleged that a local warehouse was converted into a church overnight in Dwarka, Delhi. A VHP spokesperson alleged that pastors linked to Narula’s church were paying Rs 3 lakh per month allegedly for forced conversion. When the locals came to know about it, the owner of the warehouse cancelled the agreement. The locals drove away the ‘healers’.

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