What explains a controversial Punjabi preacher’s astonishing popularity in Jharkhand?

On January 23, from the late morning onwards, people began streaming into an airfield near Jharkhand’s Gumla town. Many were from other parts of the state, while some had even travelled from neighbouring districts in Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Odisha.

A large stage had been set up with an LED screen at the rear that displayed a continuous stream of glittering stars. Six smaller screens were installed at different points in the field.

Those who gathered, among them large families with children, occupied the plastic chairs that had been set out on the ground. When those filled up, they began to spread out jute mats on the ground and sit on them. By early evening, the crowd had swelled to lakhs.

The state’s recently concluded assembly election had seen several political rallies that drew large crowds. But the crowd that gathered on that Thursday was larger than those at the rallies, and had not assembled for a politician. Rather, the audience was there to see a self-proclaimed Christian prophet from Chandigarh named Bajinder Singh.

By around 5.30 pm, devotional music began to play from the speakers, and a sense of anticipation began to build in the crowd.

Half an hour later, the evening’s proceedings began, with a musical performance by…

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