4/1/2025 India (International Christian Concern) — The sudden and suspicious death of 45-year-old Pastor Praveen Pagadala, a renowned Southern Indian Christian preacher, has sent shockwaves through the Christian community in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The incident occurred on March 25, 2025, as Pastor Pagadala was en route to a convention on his motorbike.
While police have classified the incident as a road accident, followers of the late pastor have raised serious concerns, alleging that his death was premeditated, cold-blooded murder. They claim the pastor was martyred by religious extremists due to his outspoken defense of Christianity.
Pastor Pagadala was last seen on the night of March 24, riding his motorbike toward a town near Rajahmundry in neighboring Andhra Pradesh to attend a Christian convention. However, he never arrived at his destination. The following morning, his body was discovered in a roadside ditch under suspicious circumstances.
His motorbike was found on top of his dead body, and his face was mangled with bruises and blood. There were no other injury marks on the rest of his body. Even the motorbike, a powerful 350cc two-wheeler, did not have any tangible damages akin to a road accident.
A distinctive shoe mark was discovered on the right chest of his shirt, suggesting he may have been kicked forcefully. Additionally, wood splinters were found near the site, accompanied by blood stains, raising further suspicion about the circumstances surrounding his death.
Because of his strong defense of Christianity, many people became his enemies, and he received numerous threats. One such threat came to him as late as last month.
Christian leaders and the late Pagadala’s followers are of the firm opinion that he was murdered ruthlessly in one place and later his body was dumped on the roadside in a far-off place and made to look like an accident.
Followers of the pastor gathered in large numbers at the site of the accident and later at the hospital where his body was kept, demanding a probe into the accident.
The National Christian Council (NCC) urged authorities to conduct a transparent and fair inquiry into Pastor Pagadala’s death and take decisive action against hate speeches and against those continually generating an atmosphere of religious intolerance that results in rising attacks on Christian minorities.
Dr. Sam Paul Kolakaluri, the founding president of NCC, highlighted the widespread suspicion surrounding Pagadala’s sudden demise. Raising concerns over rising hate speech against Christian preachers, Kolakaluri pointed to inciteful statements by individuals that have emboldened anti-Christian elements.
Kolakaluri also sent a letter to the National Human Rights Commission of India requesting a judicial inquiry into the suspicious death of Pastor Pagadala. The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, has instituted a high-level investigative team to probe the pastor’s death.
Nearly 100,000 people participated in the funeral procession of Pagadala in Hyderabad, creating quite a stir all across the country and inadvertently instigating queries on social media and internet search engines.
Pagadala was a remarkable public figure with a lot of charisma. He was a software engineer by profession but served as a respected pastor in Hyderabad. He was a great Christian scholar and the founder of “Sakshi Apologetics.” He held public debates on television with leaders of all major religions and always established Christianity as the truth with his strong research and study.
He was also a kind-hearted person who was involved in extensive social work among orphans and the downtrodden. He also preached on Christian TV channels and spoke to many churches in the area.
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