Indian Pastor Murdered While Praying for Man He Led to Christ

A pastor in India’s Punjab state was stabbed to death inside his home after agreeing to pray for a man he had previously led to faith in Christ, according to Christian leaders familiar with the case.

Pastor Balwinder Pal, also known as Laddi, was killed on Oct. 8 at his residence in Batala’s Gandhi Camp neighborhood. The 42-year-old minister used the house as the meeting place for The Gospel Khush Khabri Fellowship Church, which he had led for seven years.

According to an unnamed friend of the pastor, Naresh Kumar arrived that morning and requested prayer. When Pal closed his eyes, Kumar allegedly attacked him with a heavy-duty utility knife, cutting his throat. Neighbors rushed the pastor to Batala Civil Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Police arrested Kumar within four hours after identifying him through surveillance footage. A murder case was registered following a complaint from Pal’s brother, Mohinder Pal.

Conflicting explanations have emerged regarding the motive. Police reportedly said Kumar objected to his wife attending Pal’s church. Kumar, however, told reporters that he had loaned the pastor 20,000 rupees and attacked him following an argument.

Local Christian leaders believe marital jealousy may also have played a role. They said Kumar had accused his wife of having an affair with Pal after she refused to leave the congregation. The Agape Pastors Association Batala strongly rejected that allegation, describing Pal as a man of integrity whose conduct had never raised concerns.

Bishop Joginder Pal said the pastor had shared the gospel with Kumar and his wife two or three years earlier. Both reportedly became Christians and began attending the church, although Kumar later joined another ministry and pressured his wife to follow him.

The tragedy was compounded when Pal’s non-Christian relatives claimed his body and cremated it according to Hindu tradition. Local pastors had appealed to police for permission to conduct a Christian funeral, but officers advised them to avoid a dispute with the grieving family.

“Balwinder chose Christ over his own family,” Bishop Pal said, questioning why the pastor’s Christian convictions were not honored in death.

Pal reportedly led approximately 60 people to Christ while ministering in an area once without a known Christian presence.

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