Thiruvananthapuram, India - American evangelist David Terrell has found himself at the wrong end of a visa row after the Hindu Aikya Vedi lodged a complaint against him.
Police has banned Terrell from preaching at Amaravila stating that the latter would be violating the visa norms if he engaged in missionary activity.
The police action was based on a complaint lodged by the Neyyattinkara taluk committee of the Hindu Aikya Vedi.
The CSI Church, Amaravila, invited Terrell, reputed for his “healing” powers, to address the faithful during the 74th Amaravila Aikya Convention, which started on Tuesday. However, police told the church authorities on Tuesday evening that Terrell could not attend.
According to the police, Terrell is here on a visiting visa, which does not allow missionary activity.
“We appraised the church authorities of the situation. We’re also closely watching the venue,” Neyyattinkara DySP K.J.Scaria said.
The American chose to keep to his Kovalam hotel room on his own accord after Intelligence officials spoke to him of the situation, police said.
Hindu Aikya Vedi leaders allege that Terrell has been concentrating his activities in Kovalam for some years.
“Police had warned him against missionary activities. But he did not heed to their warnings,” Aikya Vedi district secretary S.K.Vijayakumar said.
The police is understandably wary in the wake of the attack on American evangelist Joseph Cooper at Kilimannur some time ago.
Some Hindu organisations have also been objecting to missionary activity in the region following the Kilimannur incident, the police said. Church officials, on the other hand, are peeved.
“But this isn’t Terrell’s first visit to Kerala. He has addressed the faithful at the Putharikkandam maidan and at Tiruvalla. There was no problem then. He has cited business as the purpose of visit. His business - and don’t take it in the commercial sense - is preaching,” says Rev Justin Charles, vicar of the CSI church.
According to him, the church had made all the arrangements for the convention and got the necessary sanction for using loudspeakers. There was absolutely no scope for a ‘conversion row’ as the convention catered exclusively to Christians.