Bajinder Singh, a self-proclaimed pastor, faces new sexual harassment charges amid ongoing controversies.
CHANDIGARH: Bajinder Singh, the self-proclaimed pastor who gained attention for his viral “Yeshu Yeshu” videos, has found himself in legal trouble once again. This time, he has been booked on charges of sexual harassment in Jalandhar district, with the Kapurthala police substantiating the complaint. Singh, who became famous for “healing” individuals, is now accused of exploiting his popularity to amass wealth, deceiving people by offering them miracles, and taking advantage of vulnerable individuals.
Despite the severity of the charges, Bajinder Singh remains unyielding. In a live TV interview on a local television channel, he challenged the government, claiming he would gather 10 lakh people in his support and dared the police to arrest him.
One of the complainants, who filed a case against Bajinder Singh, claimed that her parents began attending his church, The Church of Glory and Wisdom, in October 2017. Singh is said to have obtained her phone number after that and started sending her indecent messages and engaging in inappropriate conversations. The woman further alleged that Singh began contacting her in 2022, inviting her to join him alone at the church cabin on Sundays, where he assaulted her. She threatened in her complaint that if anything happened to her or her family members—parents, husband, or brother—both Bajinder Singh and Avatar Singh would be held responsible.
A case has been filed under Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code based on her complaint.
From jail to ‘miracle healer’: An irregular change
Bajinder Singh’s transformation from a self-styled criminal to a self-proclaimed godman has been controversial. Born in September 1982 to a Jat family in Yamunanagar, Haryana, he was arrested nearly a decade ago on a charge of murder. During his imprisonment, he came into contact with a pastor, developed an interest in Christianity, and eventually converted after reading the Bible.
Singh began his ministry in 2012, claiming to perform “miracle healings” that later gained mass attention. Building a following through secret public rituals, he promoted himself as an all-powerful spiritual healer capable of curing paralytic disabilities, HIV, and other illnesses. The Church of Glory and Wisdom expanded its evangelism not only in Punjab but also beyond, with Singh’s rituals appearing more like cheap show business than genuine spiritual practices.
Spin doctoring public opinion and social media
Social media became the platform through which Singh spread his message, amassing more than 3 million YouTube subscribers and over 1 million followers on Facebook and Instagram. His videos featured testimonies from people claiming to have been cured by his “anointing oil,” further fuelling the belief that he possessed supernatural powers.
Using children for gain and attracting court dilemmas
In 2021, a viral clip of Bajinder Singh with a boy angered the public. The video showed Singh dramatically asking the boy if his sister had ever spoken before. When the boy answered “no,” Singh declared that he had cured her, while the background music played “Mera Yeshu Yeshu.”
What started as an internet meme quickly escalated into legal matters. On August 29, 2021, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) sent a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Chandigarh, urging that Singh be held accountable for child exploitation related to “unusual superstition activities.” The NCPCR claimed that the video violated the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, and highlighted the lack of COVID-19 protective gear.