Days after video showed him slapping woman Punjab Police books pastor Bajinder Singh for assault

Chandigarh, Mar 25 (PTI) The Punjab Police on Tuesday booked Bajinder Singh on assault and other charges based on the complaint of a woman, days after a video purporting to show the self-styled Christian preacher slapping and arguing with her became widely circulated on social media.
    The Mohali police launched an investigation after the 35-year-old woman lodged a complaint with the office of the senior superintendent of police.
    She appeared before the police in Mullanpur on Tuesday and recorded her statement.
    In a separate case, Singh (42) was booked on charges of sexual harassment based on the complaint of a 22-year-old woman on February 28.
    The latest video, which appeared to be CCTV camera footage and dated February 14, purported to show Singh arguing with and throwing a bunch of papers at the woman before slapping her.
    He was also seen slapping a man multiple times.
    Inspector Sunil Kumar, the SHO of Block Majri in Mullanpur, said a case had been lodged against the pastor under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on the complaint of the woman and after investigations and verification of the video.
    "We have booked Bajinder Singh under various sections of the BNS, including 74 (whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any woman), 115 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 126 (wrongful restraint)," the SHO said.
    The matter is connected to the assault, as seen in the video, he added.
    The woman told reporters in Mullanpur that the incident occurred on February 14 when the pastor slapped, pushed and throttled her.
    She said a man whose sister had stopped attending the church had come to meet Singh on that day.
    She added that Singh was under the false impression that she had instigated the family not to send the woman to the church.
    Singh runs two churches -- The Church of Glory and Wisdom at Tajpur in Jalandhar and another in Mohali's Majri.
    He became a Christian preacher in 2012, with his supporters claiming that his church had several branches in India and abroad.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)