Punjab: Pastor and 12 others booked for rape

Punjab: Pastor Manjit Singh and 12 others have been booked for rape and kidnapping at Dera Baba Nanak police station on the complaint of a 22-year-old girl. The girl has alleged that the accused pastor assaulted her and forced her to convert to Islam. Apart from Manjit Singh, the other accused include his father Sawar Masih, sisters Kajal, Reena and Jeena, the victim’s cousin Napinder Singh, Parvez Masih, Happy Masih, Rajinder Singh and Rimi. Two unidentified persons have also been booked. The complainant said, “Sawar Masih obtained my ID from my cousin Napinder Singh and started following me on social media platforms. On January 19, Sawar and his family members kidnapped me from my house and threatened me with sharp weapons.

Later, they took me to an undisclosed location where I was kept for three months and raped repeatedly. Pastor Manjit Singh also came there and said that from now I am a Christian. I managed to escape on April 13 when Sawar and his family forgot to lock me inside the house before going out.” SSP Suhail Qasim Mir said, “We are investigating the case. I have formed teams and we hope to nab all the accused soon.” This is the third incident involving Christian pastors. Earlier, Bajinder Singh, a resident of Mohali, was sentenced for rape, while Jashan Gill, a resident of Gurdaspur, was detained on similar charges.