The highly anticipated ‘Pray for India-Conference 2023,’ originally scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on December 16th and 17th, was cancelled due to heightened security concerns. The event faced an unexpected setback following a major security breach at the Indian Parliament on 13th December 2023. The national capital New Delhi, Karnataka along with few other states were put on a high alert and security was already stepped up and prompted the organisers to cancel the event. The chief guest of the event, renowned Johannesburg-based author and televangelist Alph Lukau, has expressed his disappointment but understands the necessity of this decision.
In collaboration with Shalom and the All India Christian Federation, the event aimed to provide attendees with an opportunity to “experience the power of faith.” Within a week, the event had received over one hundred thousand registrations, with spiritual leaders from across the globe showing their intent to join.
Quoting Mr. Lukau, he said, “I am deeply saddened by the cancellation of the ‘Pray for India’ event. As an apostle of faith, I was excited to share my message of hope and spiritual growth with the people of India. However, I understand and respect the decision to cancel the event due to the prevailing security concerns. My prayers are with the people of India during this sensitive time, and I stand in solidarity with them.”
The cancellation comes after recent security breaches in the parliament, which has put the entire state of Karnataka on high alert. Concerns over the safety and security of the attendees prompted the organsers to make the difficult decision to cancel the event. This is an unfortunate turn of events for both the organizers and the attendees who were eagerly looking forward to the conference.
“We deeply regret the cancellation of the ‘Pray for India’ event, but the safety and security of our attendees are of utmost importance to us,” said the spokesperson of Shalom. “We will continue to work with the authorities to ensure that future events can be organized successfully without compromising the safety of our participants.”
The organizers express their gratitude to all those who had registered for the event and acknowledge the support received from spiritual leaders from around the world. They also extend their apologies for any inconvenience caused by the last minute cancellation,.
While the ‘Pray for India’ event did not take place at this time, the hopes and prayers for the well-being of the Indian people remain strong as Lukau went ahead and did an exclusive prayer session from his church in Johannesburg. The organizers remain committed to organizing similar events in the future, where individuals can gather to celebrate and strengthen their faith.
