Pastor, one other booked for inciting people to change religion in Rajasthan's Kota

Kota, Nov 21 (PTI) Two men, including a pastor, were booked for allegedly inciting people to change their religion in a three-day religious gathering here, police said on Friday.

A case was registered under the newly enacted Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act on Thursday night, they said.

The two accused, one from Delhi and the other from a local church, allegedly described the Rajasthan government as "the devil's kingdom" and made offensive remarks against the Hindu community at a church.

Volunteers of Hindu outfits filed a complaint at Borekheda police station after the video clips of offensive remarks surfaced on the internet.

Acting on the complaint, the police lodged an FIR on Thursday night and booked Pastor Chandi Varghese, resident of Delhi's Laxminagar and Arun John of Kota's Beersheba Church under relevant Sections of the BNS and Rajasthan's anti-conversion law, Circle inspector of Borekheda, Devesh Bhardwaj said.

Further investigation into the matter is underway, he added.

According to the FIR, the two accused had gathered people at Beersheba Church on Canal Road between November 4 and 6 under the pretext of a "spiritual discourse".

During the three-day event, the two accused delivered speeches inciting the gathering for conversion, it said.

The police have also obtained videos of the gathering and screenshots of social media livestreams, they said.

According to the police, earlier in the week, Bajrang Dal state convener Yogesh Renwal had filed the complaint in the matter with video clips alleging Pastor Chandi Varghese of inciting the gathering with remarks, "Christianity is going to increase in Rajasthan tomorrow. People in Rajasthan will be freed from the shackles of sin. Rajasthan is ruled by Satan. By removing this and implementing Christianity here, Jesus will rule as Christians." According to the FIR, at the same event, some Hindu youngsters said, "We were baptised (the process of conversion to Christianity) and became Christians, we received Jesus' grace." Notably, the state's Home Department issued a notification on October 29, 2025, regarding the new conversion law in Rajasthan. PTI COR SHS SHS