Indigenous religious believers have filed an FIR against Pentecostal Church of Seppa pastor, Chatung Sopung for hurting religious sentiments by burning the symbol of Supreme Goddess Ain Donyi (Mother of Sun), a tribal Godess.
The Supreme Goddess Ain Donyi is worshipped by followers of indigenous religion Donyipoloism practised in East Kameng district.
In the video shared by a person named Pai Dawe, the pastor with a raised hand can be seen saying “In the name of Jesus, we will burn the enemies of the lord” interspersed with gibberish like “rikalava rabarabarabaraba”. Through the video, the pastor can be heard saying “Praise the lord.. In the name of Jesus”. One of the goes on to pour fuel and set the symbols on fire. One can also see an idol resembling Lord Shiva being burnt.
Mr. Pai Dawe in his Facebook post said “Whosoever tries undermining indigenous Faith sentiment and believe shall have to face the law of the land. This is why we always advocate for the strict implementation of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act. 1978. Such brutal proselytization are the result of the lackadaisical attitude of State Govt on the preservation of Indigenous Faiths and culture.”
According to the complaint, the pastor has violated sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 1978 and also Sections 295A, 298 of the Indian Penal Code.