AP Government orders demolition of Calvary Temple Church

3,000 Hindus were being converted in this Church every month

Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) – The Andhra Pradesh Minority Welfare Department has issued demolition orders for the ‘Calvary Temple Church’ located in Namburu village, Pedakakani Mandal, Guntur District. The church was found to be operating illegally and engaging in large-scale conversions of Hindus. These activities came to light after an investigation prompted by complaints.

1. In November 2024, a complaint against the church was lodged with the Prime Minister’s Office. The allegations included illegal operations, lack of required approvals from Government bodies such as the Panchayat Raj, Revenue, Police Department, and the Noise Pollution Control Board. Additionally, it was said that the church’s Pastor, Dr Satish Kumar, exploited people by collecting donations without paying taxes.

2. Investigations after the complaints found that the church was functioning illegally and converting poor Hindus to Christianity by offering groceries and propagating false teachings. Reports in October 2024 revealed that under Pastor Satish Kumar from Bhagyanagar, the Calvary Temple Church was converting approximately 3,000 Hindus to Christianity every month.

3. Pastor Satish Kumar claimed that he had converted over 3.5 lakh Hindus to Christianity so far. It was also revealed that he plans to establish 40 such churches across India in the next 10 years.

4. On 26^th October, 2024, a video by CBN News (Christian Broadcasting Network) was shared on ‘X’, providing information on the conversions at Calvary Temple Church. Subsequently, on 28^th October, the ‘Legal Rights Protection Forum’ shared details on ‘X’ that revenue officials had seized the church following orders from the Kakinada District Collector. The church faced several allegations, including land encroachment, constructing new churches through dubious agreements and violating laws.

Details of Calvary Temple Church

The Calvary Temple Church, established in 2005 by Satish Kumar, is one of the largest churches in Asia. Satish Kumar also runs institutions such as the Calvary Bible College, Calvary Hospital and Calvary School.

Satish Kumar is believed to have significant influence across various sectors, including politics in Andhra Pradesh and beyond. Additionally, he holds considerable sway within national & international Christian communities. He frequently travels to countries like the US, South Africa and Korea. In 2018, the then Vice President of the US, Mike Pence, shared photos of his meeting with Satish Kumar on ‘X’.

Editorial Perspectives

Merely demolishing the church is not enough; action should also be taken against the Pastors responsible for conversions. Else, they will simply build another church and continue with the conversions.

Hindus are puzzled – When India is a secular country, why don’t secularists open their mouths about this open conversion of Hindus in churches, and why doesn’t the Government enact an Anti-conversion law ?