A Christian preacher is dragged by the police from a prayer function, bundled into their police vehicle, brutally attacked at the police station in full public view and remanded to police custody. When his followers object to the inhuman treat, they are caned, leaving many badly injured. After four days of incarceration, he is let out on bail, driven across the border in the name of safety and thrown out like a disposable commodity. Looks like an episode taken out from a film script? No, this is what happened to Pastor Rajender Chauhan of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh!

Pastor Rajender Chauhan experienced Christ while working in Mumbai and responded to God's call to pray for the people in his place. He came back and started praying for the people. God honoured him and the people began to experience great miracles at his hands. Some of them even reported healing. As a result multitudes of people started coming to him for prayer. They took home the water he prayed over and experienced healing. Crowds grew over 10,000 on Saturdays and Sundays and the name of Jesus spread in the area. The meeting was held in an open ground that he owned. Not just the poor but even the rich and the famous came to hear him.

On 25 March 2007 Pastor Rajender Chauhan was conducting a prayer meeting at his place as usual. The preaching and prayer were in progress and a crowd of more than 13,000 shouted "Yeshu Ki Jai", rending the air. Suddenly two police jeeps and a van arrived. The police entered the area from behind the stage and politely signalled to the Pastor to meet them. Unaware of their cruel designs, the Pastor handed over the proceedings to other ministers on stage and walked over to them.

Once out of the stage and away from the public gaze, the police threw him into the waiting jeep and sped away in a flash. It took a few moments for some believers to sense that something was wrong. Before the vehicles could reach the exit point, they surrounded the vehicles and demanded an explanation. The police explained that they wanted to discuss a few things with him regarding the upcoming elections in the State and they would drop him back immediately.

Still some believers followed the police to the station. Only later they realised the brutal beatings that the Pastor received inside the running vehicle. Once at the station, the waiting VHP/Bajrang Dal activists took over the proceedings from the police. He was brutally beaten up in full public view and the police just sat and watched the drama unfolding before them. The Pastor's hands were tied with a rope and hung so that he could not even cover his face from the blows. The believers could do nothing to stop the brutality as the might of police was in full display. But they quickly took out a procession and surrounded the station shouting "Yeshu Ki Jai" in support of the Pastor.

Sensing trouble the police threw all caution to the wind and caned a crowd of around 450 believers who thronged the station in support of the Pastor. The sheer terror of the police sent the crowd run for cover. The Pastor was locked up and beaten up all night, accusing him of converting the people.

The following day he was taken to the Chief Judicial Magistrate and was remanded for 14 days. At the court premises, VHP activists dragged and kicked him in the presence of everyone, including the press. Even in jail, the inmates did not allow the Pastor to sleep, eat and attend to the nature's call.

The New Life League (NIL) based in Varanasi (who helped some brothers when they were beaten up in Varanasi in 2005) moved in swiftly, contacting the people in position. Even the Inspector General appeared sympathetic but was helpless before the might of the local police. The NIL leaders ran from pillar to post and finally secured bail for the Pastor on the fourth day. The Jaunpur police could not guarantee his safety once he was out on bail. Therefore they accompanied him to the border and asked him to look after himself. He is now sheltered on the NLL campus.

"It's a clear case of miscarriage of justice, and the sheer terror that religious fanatics can unleash upon Christians in connivance with the so-called protectors of the law. The beating and other forms of violence can be numbing enough. But where do we go for justice?" wondered a NIL leader.