Pastor Harpreet Deol

Pastor Harpreet Deol leads the Open Door Church at Khojewal village in Kapurthala district, one of the best-known Pentecostal ministries in the Jalandhar area. Swarajya describes him as a second-generation pastor from a Jat Sikh family. The Tribune reports that the church has a large following among Dalits of the Jalandhar region.

Key moments

• 31 January 2023: about 50 Income Tax officials searched premises linked to Deol and to another pastor, Bajinder Singh, across Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Amritsar, New Chandigarh, Mohali and Kurali. Swarajya reported that the inquiry covers suspected tax evasion, foreign funding and the use of church donations, and that Rs 2 crore was seized from properties in Kapurthala and Jalandhar. The published reports describe searches and allegations under investigation, not charges or findings.
• 3 April 2023: a political outfit, the United Punjab Party, was announced at his church, after the creation of a Pentecostal Christian Parbandhak Committee modelled on the SGPC. The Tribune called it the first time these churches had said they would take part directly in Punjab politics, and said the launch was seen as an effort to win Dalit votes before the Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-election.

The wider debate. Sikh bodies have taken a firm line on conversions. In his Diwali message of October 2022 the Akal Takht's officiating Jathedar, Giani Harpreet Singh, warned Sikhs against fake pastors who, he said, draw Sikh families into Christianity by deception, and called the government's silence on conversions a cause for concern. The Tribune's report of that message does not name Deol.

What he is known for. A large ministry in the Jalandhar and Kapurthala area, and the move of Pentecostal churches into Punjab politics. Allegations about foreign funding and donations are unproven at the time of the reports cited.