A legislator belonging to the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the party ruling Maharashtra state in India, put out a bounty on evangelists who allegedly visit villages for proselytization.
In a public speech, BJP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Gopichand Padalkar allegedly put a rate card for killings of different kinds of Christians, the highest amount being for pastors.
The announcement of the cash reward has sparked outrage among the Christian community.
Christian communities in various towns and cities across Maharashtra have held protests demanding that a police case be registered against the MLA for inciting violence and spreading hatred through Padalkar’s speech.
Protesters also demanded that Padalkar be immediately expelled from the Maharashtra Legislative Council. In Jalna town, protesters led by prominent Christian leaders submitted a memorandum to the district collector, requesting action against the legislator. In Nagpur city, a delegation from the Nagpur City United Churches Forum submitted a memorandum of various demands to Police Commissioner Ravindra Singal.
The memorandum included a demand to immediately register an FIR against Padalkar for placing a bounty on Christians and making unconstitutional statements against the Christian community.
