A legislator from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sparked outrage after offering a cash reward for attacking Christian evangelists.
Gopichand Padalkar, the BJP representative for the Jat constituency in Sangli district, Maharashtra, announced during a public speech that he would reward anyone who assaults those allegedly visiting villages to carry out religious conversions, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI).
Padalkar made the remarks following the suicide of a 28-year-old woman in Sangli district. The woman, who was four months pregnant, reportedly took her life due to pressure from her in-laws to convert to Christianity and an alleged dowry demand.
