CID raids Pastor Praveen Chakravarthy's properties in Kakinada, seize electronic devices
By Newsmeter Network Published on 20 Jan 2021 5:00 AM GMT
Kakinada: Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) raided the properties of Pastor Praveen Chakravarthy in Kakinada. Officials seized electronic devices for evaluation. CID sleuths are also visiting the villages, which the pastor claimed to have converted into 'Christ villages'.
Earlier, he was arrested for denigrating another religion and making provocative speeches on social media. A native of East Godavari district, Sodadasi Praveen Chakravarthy is chairman of Christian institutions including Mother Theresa Schools, KTC Children Home, PVRM Educational Society, and Sylom Blind Center.
He has been booked under section 153 (A), 153 (B) (1) (C), 505 (2), 295 (A), 124(A), 115 IPC r/w 66 (F) of the IT Act, 2000.
Superintendent of Police, cybercrime wing, Radhika said they have confiscated electronic devices of pastor Praveen found during the raid
"Teams are visiting villages to check on conversion activities, as claimed in the video. A check on the financial income is on. The raid is in connection with a video in which the pastor claims to have attacked temples," the officer said.
In a video, the pastor claimed to have kicked idols of Hindu Gods. "There are hundreds of Christ villages in which people have accepted Christ. A pastor is deployed to spread the gospel. On many occasions, I have kicked the stone /stick god and felt happy. Even the villages encouraged saying this (idol) is fake," he is seen saying in the video.
The video has gone viral leading to heavy criticism. CID officials were acting on a complaint lodged by Singam Venkata Sri Lakshminarayana of Guntur.
CID officials have gone through Chakravarthy's social media accounts and concluded that he had posted videos to create unrest by making disparaging comments against a religion.
CID team arrested the pastor and produced him before the court in Guntur. Praveen Chakravarthy is understood to have made provocative speeches that were circulated on Facebook and YouTube.
CID ADGP Sunil Kumar said that Chakravarthy has committed a grave crime by posting videos on social media. Earlier, he was accused in four similar cases.
