Amaravati: Pastor held for derogatory video on Hindu gods

Amaravati: State police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested a pastor, Praveen Chakravarthy, for allegedly featuring in a 7-year-old video in which he declared that he had kicked tree Gods and stone Gods.

"We arrested him on Tuesday night itself at Kakinada. We brought him here (Guntur) and on the next day we produced him in the Court," R. Vijaya Paul, CID coastal superintendent of police (SP) confirmed.

Paul said that the video is seven years and from 2013.

"That's what he said. We have written the same in his confession statement. That's of 2013," said Paul. Police arrested the pastor under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 153 A, 294, 124 and other relevant ones.

The SP said the video is inflammatory in nature and police officials are verifying his bank transactions, including checking if any more such video were made.

Though the video emerged in 2013, before even the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh, Paul said no case has been filed against this video all these years.

"The thing is that if somebody makes a complaint then we are there to verify it. This is not a suo motu case. Somebody has made a complaint, we verified it. We got him (Chakravarthy) and asked him, he said it is his own voice," said the senior police officer.

Paul clarified that though the video is not from the current time, it is still offensive and said that the CID is acting on this case for the first time. "We are not taking the punishment second time. This is the first time. On this video, nobody has taken any action," he observed.

As the supervising officer in this case, Paul said the investigating officer has clearly mentioned that the video is more than five years old.

Meanwhile, BJP national secretary and AP co-incharge, Sunil Deodhar, released a video statement questioning Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy over the video which emerged during the time when Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy was the CM of united AP, before N Chandra Babu Naidu became the chief minister in 2014.

"He (Chakravarthy) claims that he has converted 699 villages of AP into Christ villages. What is going on Jagan Mohan Reddy garu in your state?" posed Deodhar.

According to Deodhar, there are 3,600 pastors under Chakrvarthy, who work along with him and they allegedly received Rs 90 crore.

"And they have received more than Rs 90 crore, claiming that more than 40,000 children are rescued. Where are these children, where is the exact data. It is your duty to find out," he added.