In a significant development, the police in Alluri Sitarama Raju district clarified on May 19 that the alleged attack on Christian pastor and Bharosa Party founder Abhinay Darshan was a staged drama allegedly orchestrated by the pastor himself as an attention-seeking activity.
The alleged attack came to light on May 18 after Pastor Abhinay Darshan, who hails from Kadapa district, released videos claiming that unidentified persons had attacked him during his tour in the tribal regions of the district.
He claimed that the incident took place in Chintapalli area of Alluri district while he was travelling through remote and forest regions as part of his outreach campaign.
Abhinay Darshan, who recently announced the formation of a political outfit named Bharosa Party, had been touring several tribal areas in the district claiming that he wanted to understand tribal issues first-hand and work towards resolving them.
Attack on pastor Abhinaya Darshan is staged. But @iTDP_Official had to jump the gun in his support. TDP seems to have a very darker side and darker fantasy towards conversion Mafia.
That’s why they haven’t taken any action against pastor ajay babu aka erra babu despite knowing… pic.twitter.com/4YUuF2k7Dj
— Tathvam-asi (@tathvamasi6) May 19, 2026
Following the alleged attack, he was rushed to a Chintapalli area hospital by locals for treatment and videos of the incident were widely circulated on social media.
As news of the attack spread, several Christian leaders and former YSRCP MP Harsha Kumar expressed concern over the safety and security of Christians in Andhra Pradesh. Statements and social media posts raised apprehensions that Christians were being targeted in the state.
Treating the matter as a serious law and order issue, the district police launched an immediate investigation under the supervision of Chintapalli ASP Navjyoti Mishra.
Initially, the inquiry began from the angle that unidentified persons had carried out the attack. However, after examining technical evidence and questioning the followers, the truth came out.
Evidence was found showing that Abhinay himself had arranged the attack on himself. According to reports, Abhinay hired three persons for the attack. He reportedly sent them instructions through WhatsApp voice messages detailing how the attack should be carried out, at what time, and at which location.
At the time of the incident, three followers were travelling in the car along with Abhinay. It was they who recorded the attack episode on mobile phones. Those visuals were later uploaded on Instagram and other social media platforms.
Police collected all evidence related to the incident, including the voice messages. Investigators concluded that Abhinay had orchestrated the attack as part of a plan to gain sympathy from Christians and tribal communities.
