Jalandhar: A young boy was allegedly brought dead onto the stage. A man in jeans and blazer touched his forehead and whispered something in his ear. The boy sprang back to life.
The crowd erupted. “Hallelujah!”
That was Sunita Kumari’s introduction to Pastor Bajinder Singh in Jalandhar’s Tajpur village four years ago. A scrap worker from Uttar Pradesh, she stood in the audience with her friend, watching in awe.
Now, on a Wednesday afternoon on 5 March, Kumari, her two children, and the women in her family rushed toward the pastor’s ministry—a field as big as a football ground with few buildings—for a meeting. She has been a regular visitor ever since she witnessed the incident four years ago. To her, Singh isn’t just a pastor—he’s her “Papa.”
And now, Papa is in trouble.
Pastor Bajinder Singh, 42, is facing allegations of sexual misconduct. A 22-year-old woman from Kapurthala has accused him of sexual harassment and stalking. She claims he sent her vulgar messages and touched her inappropriately. Her family had followed Singh since 2017. The victim alleged the pastor began contacting her directly after she joined the worship team at his ministry. She filed a complaint on 28 February.
After the controversy, Singh has left for Nepal to attend a religious healing event. His management said that he will return after 7 March. But villagers who have closely seen Singh’s rise for years said that since the case is gaining momentum, he might not return at all. An FIR has been filed and an SIT set up by the police to investigate the case.
Manjit Singh, a retired professor of sociology at Punjab University, insisted there should be a law against those spreading superstition.
“Encouraging a medieval mindset only serves to exploit Dalits, the poor, and other vulnerable sections of society—especially those struggling with health and financial insecurity,” Singh said.
This isn’t the first time Singh has faced such accusations. In 2018, a woman in Zirakpur accused him of rape, alleging he lured her into his ministry’s security team and assaulted her at his home in Mohali. Singh was briefly arrested at Delhi airport but secured bail. A non-bailable warrant was issued against the pastor in the case on 3 March.
Despite these allegations, Singh’s following remains strong. On Monday, his supporters blocked the Nakodar-Jalandhar road near Lambhra, demanding a thorough investigation into the allegations leveled against their pastor. To them, he is a miraculous healer, a conduit of Jesus—an image reinforced by viral YouTube videos, social media reels, and live events where he is seen claiming to be miraculously curing people.
Singh’s influence extends beyond his followers. Bollywood celebrities, such as Tushar Kapoor, Chunky Pandey, Suniel Shetty, Arbaaz Khan, Mahima Chaudhary, and Rakhi Sawant, have attended his events and endorsed him. In 2024, several actors visited his Tajpur church during Christmas, where Singh made prophecies about them. The actors were seen entertaining the crowd, their reels viral on social media. His influence has made even politicians welcome him during a revival event in Chhattisgarh.
His digital imprint is equally powerful. The Prophet Bajinder Singh Ministries YouTube channel boasts 3.12 million subscribers. On Instagram, this page has 1.1 million followers.
Singh’s popularity is symptomatic of India’s larger cult-like devotion to self-styled godmen. The people of Tajpur see a parallel between him and the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Baba Ram Rahim. They said he will meet the same fate. Over the years, Singh has built a fiercely loyal army of followers — not only from Punjab but also, from UP and Bihar. His supporters dismiss allegations, and have flood social media with videos of his so-called miracles. They are ready to defend him at all cost.
“The woman accusing Papa is lying,” said Sunita, her toddler wrapped in her arms. “I went to him praying for a son, and he blessed me with one—the first in three generations. Papa is a miracle worker, a savior for the poor. He even gives us food and clothes.”
But this time, Sunita isn’t rushing to meet ‘Papa’. It’s Bade Papa’s gathering at the Tajpur ministry she is getting late for.
The woman accusing Papa is lying. I went to him praying for a son, and he blessed me with one—the first in three generations. Papa is a miracle worker, a savior for the poor. He even gives us food and clothes.
Sunita Kumari, a follower of Pastor Bajinder Singh
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‘Bade Papa’ fills in for ‘Papa’
It’s a modest gathering compared to what the villagers see on Sundays. Some 300 people sat in chairs inside a tent at the ministry. A white iron barricade separates them from the stage, where musicians play songs of Yeshu (Jesus).
“Jab se tu mil gaya hai masih nasri, aur khwahish nahi kuch paane ki (Since I found you, Messiah of Nazareth, I have no desire for anything else)”
Suddenly, a tall, lanky man in a black blazer and jeans appears from behind the stage, a look-alike of Bajinder Singh with the same slow, measured walk. The crowd erupts in joy. He is Pastor Ravinder Singh—Bajinder’s elder brother, or as the followers fondly call him, ‘Bade Papa’.
Ravinder Singh isn’t as popular on social media, but he is revered as Bajinder Singh’s guru. His followers say that while he avoids the spotlight, he is just as powerful and miraculous.
He takes the mic and shouts, “Hallelujah!” Then, he bellows, “Tera vishwas hi tereko changa karega (Only your faith will cure you)”.
Suddenly, a woman from the crowd walks towards the barricade dividing the seeker and the sought, her body shaking violently. She falls to the ground and begins rolling, moving past the iron gate. With her face contorted, and eyes rolled up, she sits on her knees as her hands mimic the slithering motion of a snake. Her hissing grows louder.
Looking at the woman, Ravinder bellows into the mic, “All the evils will come out. This snake inside you will come out. Come out, you snake. The evil.”
The woman starts rolling violently again, narrowly escaping the light poles. However, this convulsion takes a pause when a security woman runs to her and covers her torso with the dupatta to conceal her body. As the security woman leaves, the woman starts rolling again.
The woman is barefoot. Only Ravinder wears shoes inside the barricaded area. The followers are not allowed to enter with footwear, just like in temples.
In the next few minutes, Ravinder moves through the crowd, tapping heads. One by one, more women begin convulsing—some rolling on the ground, others swaying, shaking their heads violently, or crying out loudly.
While Ravinder holds a smaller gathering of hundreds on Wednesdays, Sundays are a different spectacle. That’s when the ministry swells with thousands. Every Sunday, Bajinder Singh himself leads the congregation. Buses from different districts of Punjab arrive in Tajpur, and followers flood the narrow village roads, jostling to reach the ministry.
But for the villagers of Tajpur, the ministry is nothing more than a family business run by two brothers—profiting off the desperation of innocent people searching for hope, cure and comfort. And in the middle of it all, their village stands as the silent victim.
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Tajpur dreads Sundays
The entrance to Tajpur village is marked by murals of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh. A mid-sized road, flanked by large houses, narrows as the homes shrink in size. Then come the potholes and a dilapidated stretch, interspersed with swathes of open fields, leading up to the high address of the ministry. A lone tattered, elongated board featuring Bajinder Singh speaking into a mic is tied to a pole.
On Sunday mornings, the village turns into a jamboree of followers—long queues run up to the main road, overshadowing Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh murals. Villagers dread the Sundays.
Madan Lal, 55, has gone to the panchs, sarpanch and the police but no action has been taken against the Pastor or his brother. Sitting outside the gurdwara in the village with his friends, Lal said that he fears to even step out on a Sunday.
“Almost a lakh people land here on a Sunday. They come in buses, autos, and cars. It feels like our village has been taken over by them. They even pee in the water basin outside the gurdwara despite our warnings,” said Lal, pointing at the area meant for washing hands and drinking water outside the gurdwara.
Fame and followers didn’t come overnight to Bajinder. The pastor took his faith door to door. Not many knew the ministry existed. Villagers recall Bajinder introducing himself and preaching about Jesus.
Sarbjit Kaur, the woman who became sarpanch four months ago, said that the village is dominated by Schedule Caste population who are the followers of Ambedkar.
“No one from our village attends the church. It’s the people from outside who come to our village to attend the ministry.”
Kaur, accompanied by a panch and her brother-in-law, said that ahead of a big event, the village is replete with pamphlets and posters with photos of Bollywood stars endorsing Bajinder and his ministry. After Kaur became the sarpanch, Singh and his ministry wanted to felicitate her with a tractor but she refused.
The panch seated in a chair next to Kaur said that Bajinder’s presence has created a small local economy in the area near the ministry. People who come to meet Singh from far flung areas end up staying and renting a room. The ministry is a near a cremation site, which for the longest time was uninhabited. But everything changed as Bajinder and his ministry grew popular.
“Earlier, the room rent was Rs 100 per day, now it has swelled to Rs 500 per day. And these are the houses of the people who don’t live here anymore but are renting out their accommodations to these followers,” he said.
Another villager in the group, Pradeep Singh, said the church-cum-ministry came up 10 years ago. The land had belonged to an NRI in Canada, and when it was sold, no one in the village knew it would be turned into a church. A former sarpanch, who wished anonymity fearing reprisal, said that the villagers have kept quiet because Bajinder has a lot of money, people and power on his side.
“Whenever we have confronted him, he has threatened us, saying we can’t do anything to him because he has power and money. And that he can buy anyone,” said a former panch.
In 2023, the Income Tax department raided Bajinder’s church of Wisdom and Glory, ministry and residence in Jalandhar and Mohali. The raids were part of an investigation into financial irregularities and fraud. The villagers claim that the Sunday market is when his team collects money from people in exchange for Singh’s prayers.
“There are many we’ve spoken to who came knocking on our doors, saying he took their money but never cured them,” said the panch.
Another villager alleged that people suffering from rare diseases have died at the ministry. “They are quietly asked to take the bodies, with promises of food, rations, and some money. What happens to the other bodies, nobody knows,” he said.
But fame and followers didn’t come overnight to Bajinder. The pastor took his faith door to door. Not many knew the ministry existed. Villagers recall Bajinder introducing himself and preaching about Jesus. That’s how he built his army of followers. Social media played a crucial role, too. As more people started coming in, Bajinder began posting videos of his miraculous cures, drawing in devotees from across the country.
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Social media and the message of ‘miracle’
Over 15,00 km away from Tajpur, in Bihar’s capital Patna, a youngster struggling with a rare leg condition got encouraged by Bijender’s reel on YouTube and landed at the ministry. It was in April 2024 when 27-year-old Dheeraj Kumar’s elder brother, Sonu Kumar, came across a YouTube reel featuring Bajinder Singh. It was midnight when Sonu, limping, approached Dheeraj with a desperate plea.
“He said, ‘Take me to Bajinder once. Anyway, I am going to die. If he doesn’t cure me, I won’t ask for anything more,’” Dheeraj recalled, sipping his tea at a kiosk near the ministry.
His brother had developed a disease in his left leg, and doctors had already given up hope.
The next morning, Dheeraj booked a train from Patna. After a 24-hour journey, the brothers arrived in Tajpur. They rented a small room, paying Rs 100 per day, and survived on the free meals provided by the ministry. Every day, they attended prayers, hoping for a miracle.
And then, it happened. The ointment sold at the ministry, packed in a simple plastic bottle, was applied daily by Sonu. Slowly, his condition improved.
“It was a miracle. I saw my brother getting better day by day. I left for Patna after 20 days, and my brother returned after 40 days—walking on his own,” said Dheeraj.
In the past year, Dheeraj has brought six families from his village in Patna to Bajinder Singh. “By name and religion, I am a Hindu,” he said, holding up his phone—its wallpaper an image of Jesus Christ.
“But by heart, I am a follower of Jesus.”
Bajinder Singh’s followers aren’t just the poor; he has a significant following among the middle class as well. Outside the ministry, a Punjab police officer stands guard. “The miracle of Bajinder Singh made me commit to him for life,” he said.
Another follower, a government official from the Punjab administration, recalled his first encounter with Bajinder and his brother at an inauguration event. “The duo told me I had a blood clot in my stomach that would require surgery the next day,” he said.
At first, he dismissed it as nonsense. But that evening, he noticed blood in his urine. By the next morning, his condition had worsened, and he was rushed into surgery. “Since then, I have been visiting their ministry every Sunday,” he said.
Calling it a socio-political failure, Manjit Singh emphasized the importance of cultivating a scientific temper. However, he questioned how this could be achieved when political leaders themselves reinforce such beliefs.
“When political leaders urge people to participate in religious events like the Kumbh to wash away their sins, how can scientific temper be cultivated in such a society?”
Prophet Bajinder Singh’s Instagram page, boasting 1.1 million followers, is filled with before-and-after testimonies. One video starts with a man struggling to walk on crutches. As Singh touches him, the background flashes with thunder and light effects—and suddenly, the man starts walking without crutches. He then gives his testimony, declaring himself cured. Reels of his miraculous cures circulate on Instagram, set to the tune of “Mera Yeshu, Yeshu” playing in the background.
The video was posted a week ago, and has garnered over 3,000 likes and 146 comments. The comment section is flooded with “Hallelujah” and “Ameen,” with followers praising Singh for his supposed miracle.
These so-called miracles came later. Earlier, Bajinder Singh would talk about his transformation story to build rapport with people.
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Pastor in jail and ‘evil forces’
The website named Prophet Bajinder Singh Ministry opens to a photo of him speaking into the mic and an “About Me” section. Singh claims to have been born in 1982 to a farmer father who also held a government job. In Class VIII, he said he was “harassed by some evil forces,” which made him irritable. Though he does not specify what these forces were.
His website claims that he was jailed for 18 months and even attempted suicide. News reports have said the pastor was jailed on charges of murder.
“I would think of dying due to depression in jail and at night I would be very scared. I took the name of all gods but still the evil forces would haunt me. Then someone gave me the Bible,” the website reads.
Singh claims to have met a pastor in jail who prayed for him, following which he started believing, praying and fasting.
“Lord would appear to me and say you are acquitted and from now on, you will serve me. And I was acquitted,” the website reads.
For Baljit Singh, BJP’s district executive member of Amritsar, the accusations are attempts to malign his pastor Singh. Baljit also has a similar story to many others. A Sikh by religion, Baljit had been deported from Japan. He has lost his money and had a debt of Rs 25 lakh. That’s when he met Bajinder who made a prophecy about the turnaround in Baljit’s fortunes. In two years, Baljit had cleared his debt and was leading a better life in Amritsar.
After Baljit learned about the sexual harassment case, he left his party work and rushed to the ministry. But by then, Singh had already left. Instead, he met Singh’s elder brother, Ravinder. Now, Baljit waits for Singh to return so he can offer his sympathies.
Calling himself a Christian now, Baljit said he still shouts “Jai Shree Ram” during his party campaigns.
“In my mouth, it’s Ram, but in my heart, it’s Yeshu,” he laughed loudly.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)