Shevgaon (Ahilyanagar district): Hindu woman sexually harassed inside church under pretext of prayer; pressured for religious conversion

Threatened with murder after refusing to attend church

Ahilyanagar – In Shevgaon taluka, a Hindu woman was called to a church under the pretext of treating her ailing nephew, where she was sexually harassed and pressured to convert. The victim has filed a complaint against Pastor Pradeep Kolhe of ‘Ashirwad Prayer Bhavan Holy Spirit Generation Church’. When the family stopped attending church, Kolhe abused them, issued death threats, and threatened to frame them in false cases. Locals have demanded strict action, and a case has been registered against him.

The victim stated in her complaint:

1.      “Since 2014, my nephew has been unwell. Hoping for his recovery, I began attending church with my family. Under the guise of healing prayers, Pastor Kolhe exploited my trust; telling me to close my eyes while he touched my back and neck, pulled my saree pallu, and held my hand inappropriately.”

2.      “He also pressured me, saying, ‘Bring more relatives to church, or I won’t treat him,’ attempting to influence us religiously.”

Editorial Perspectives

• Hindus must recognise the true face of lustful church priests. Across many places, similar conspiracies to exploit faith for conversions are emerging.

• Such incidents rarely receive media coverage. Had it been a Hindu Sadhu or Saint, the media would have already launched a venomous campaign against them.