Indian Pastor Killed While Praying, Friend Says; Accused Man Was His Own Convert, Bishop Says
Pastor Balwinder Pal's brothers cremated him under Hindu custom while fellow pastors in Batala, Punjab, asked for a Christian funeral. Police and church leaders give differing accounts of the motive.
See where this is ›BATALA, India —
A Christian pastor was killed Oct. 8 inside the home that also served as his church in the Gandhi Camp area of Batala, in Punjab's Gurdaspur District, Christian Daily International reported Nov. 2. Pastor Balwinder Pal, 42, known as Laddi, led The Gospel Khush Khabri Fellowship Church from the house, where he had lived alone for seven years.
See where this is ›A close friend of the pastor, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told the outlet that the suspect had asked Pal to pray for him that morning. “When Laddi closed his eyes to pray, [he] slashed his throat with a sharp cutter,” the friend said. The news agency UNI reported the same day that police said the attack happened around 9:30 a.m. and that family members rushed the pastor to a hospital.
Police arrested a painter within four hours based on CCTV footage, according to Christian Daily International. Civil Lines police registered the case, FIR No. 316, on a complaint from the pastor's brother, Mohinder Pal, and the man is charged with murder. Bishop Joginder Pal, founder and overseer of the church, said the accused was one of the people the pastor led to faith two or three years ago. Watchman News is not naming the accused man because he has not been convicted.
Accounts of the motive differ. Police told local media that the man's wife attended Pal's church and that he objected. The bishop said the man had left the congregation for another ministry and pressured his wife to follow, and she refused. The accused told reporters he had lent the pastor 20,000 rupees (about $210), that they argued, and that he stabbed Pal in a rage.
Pal was the only Christian in his family, according to the report. His brothers had his body released and cremated it on an open pyre under Hindu tradition. Bishop Pal and other Batala pastors asked the Station House Officer to release the body for a Christian funeral, but the officer advised them to avoid conflict with the family. “Balwinder chose Christ over his own family,” the bishop said.
The friend said no one in the area followed Christ when Pal began his work seven years ago. The pastor had shared the gospel with about 60 people, and 25 to 30 attended Sunday services, all converts from other faiths, the report said. He is survived by a teenage son and daughter, who live with their mother.
What we don't know yet: Whether the killing was because of the pastor's faith has not been established. UNI's Oct. 8 report said police described two assailants, while Christian Daily International describes one accused man. Watchman News has not independently confirmed the friend's account of the attack, and no trial date was reported.
