NEW DELHI, Dec 26: What should have been a season of carols, lights and quiet prayer has instead unfolded as a season of fear. Just days after a Bajrang Dal member reportedly disrupted a Christmas mass in the national capital, fresh scenes of hostility erupted in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh. At Raipur’s popular Magneto Mall, members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad’s youth wing allegedly vandalized Christmas decorations worth lakhs, turning a public celebration into a scene of destruction.
Videos that quickly went viral on social media show men wielding sticks, striking down a Santa Claus statue and smashing reindeer figures placed outside shopping complexes. The imagery was stark: symbols of joy being beaten into fragments.
The VHP later issued a statement urging Hindus to refrain from celebrating Christmas “in any form,” framing the call as an effort to spark a cultural “awakening.” Reports suggest that shop owners and commercial establishments were also being pressured to avoid participating in Christmas festivities altogether.
For India’s Christian community—around 32 million people, or just 2.3% of the population—the message was chilling. A festival meant to celebrate peace and goodwill has been overshadowed by intimidation, harassment and violence. This is despite census data showing that the Christian population grew by 15.5% between 2001 and 2011, below the national average growth rate of 17.7%. Yet, Christians continue to be portrayed as a demographic or cultural threat.
Alarmed by the escalation, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), the highest representative body of Catholics in the country, issued a strongly worded statement on Tuesday expressing “deep anguish” over what it called the “alarming rise” in attacks on Christians during this sacred period.
The bishops warned that many of these incidents—often carried out by vigilante groups under allegations of forced religious conversions—strike at the heart of the Constitution, undermining the fundamental rights to freedom of religion and worship without fear.
In a direct appeal, the CBCI urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and chief ministers across states to ensure strict enforcement of the law and provide proactive protection to Christian communities nationwide.
In a video message accompanying the statement, an archbishop spoke of his “deep pain” at the growing attacks, stressing that such acts erode the spirit of India’s Constitution. He reminded the nation that the true message of Christmas—echoed in carols and prayers—is one of peace, joy, hope and harmony.
But the violence has not been confined to one city.
In Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar, men allegedly linked to the Bajrang Dal were seen harassing women and children wearing Santa caps, accusing them on the streets of attempting religious conversions.
In Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur, another viral video showed BJP city vice-president Anju Bhargava allegedly physically assaulting and verbally abusing a visually impaired woman during a Christmas charity event.
In Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, tensions spiralled into large-scale violence between December 17 and 18. Mobs reportedly torched at least two churches—some accounts say three—damaged Christian homes and clashed with police. The unrest spread across villages including Dumali and Kurrutola under the Ambeda police station limits.
The violence reportedly followed the burial of 70-year-old Chamraran Salam on private family land. Salam, the father of local sarpanch Rajman Salam, died on December 15. Villagers protested the Christian-style burial, claiming it violated tribal customs, despite the land being privately owned.
In a disturbing attack on the festive spirit, activists of the Vishva Hindu Parishad-Bajrang Dal (VHPBD) vandalised Christmas celebrations at St. Mary’s School in Panigaon village and destroyed festival items at shops across Nalbari district, Assam. According to police, the protesters tore and burnt banners and posters promoting Christmas and raised ‘Jai Shree Ram’ slogans while warning the school authorities against holding any celebrations on December 25, 2025. Eyewitnesses reported that the violence extended to local shops near the Jain Mandir and several shopping malls, where Christmas merchandise was set ablaze, leaving a trail of fear and destruction in the town.
Defending the actions, VHPBD Nalbari District Secretary Bhaskar Deka told reporters that while trading in festival-related items of Indian origin is acceptable, “we do not accept doing business with a festival of non-Indian origin.” Despite the vandalism, no formal complaints have been filed, and no FIR has been registered so far. The incidents have sparked concerns about growing intimidation of Christian communities and public celebrations during the festive season in parts of India.
These incidents form part of a disturbing national pattern. Over the past decade, reported cases of violence against Christians have surged from 139 to 834. Nearly 5,000 families have been affected in the last ten years, according to a report by International Christian Concern, a US-based non-profit organisation.
As Christmas approaches, the contrast could not be sharper: songs of peace drowned out by shouts of suspicion, festive lights shattered by fear. For many Christians across India, the season of hope has become a season of endurance.
