Pastor Killed in Punjab, India, Following Dispute

Pastor Balwinder Pal, 42, was killed on October 8 inside his home and church in the Gurdaspur District of Punjab, India. Known locally as Laddi, the pastor led The Gospel Khush Khabri Fellowship Church. According to reports, the suspect, Naresh Kumar, arrived at the pastor's home and attacked him with a utility knife while the pastor was praying.

Police arrested Kumar shortly after the incident. Authorities stated that the suspect objected to his wife attending the pastor's church, which they believe served as a motive for the attack. Kumar offered a different account to reporters, claiming he had gone to the home to collect a loan of 20,000 rupees and killed the pastor during an argument.

Local Christian leaders noted that the suspect and his wife had previously attended the church, though Kumar had recently begun attending a different ministry and was pressuring his wife to join him. While some in the community speculated that the suspect suspected an affair, the Agape Pastors Association Batala has rejected these claims. An investigation into the murder remains ongoing.