From Assam school raids to Delhi street confrontations, alleged Hindutva groups disrupt Christmas’ prayers and decorations , prompting bishops to demand stronger security measures.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, December 25, 2025 — Christmas celebrations across parts of India were accompanied by a series of reported incidents targeting Christians, including vandalism, disruptions of prayer services, and intimidation of congregations. Rights groups and church networks say more than 60 such incidents were recorded around Christmas, and an ecumenical forum has documented over 700 cases of anti-Christian violence between January and November 2025.
Church leaders and activists attribute many of the incidents to Hindutva-aligned organisations such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and affiliates of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), allegations those groups have not uniformly addressed in public statements. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a Christmas service at a Delhi church and reiterated his government’s “Sabka Saath” message, critics in the Opposition and among rights advocates argue that symbolic outreach is undercut by what they describe as inadequate enforcement against communal offences.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has expressed concern over what it called an “alarming rise” in attacks and has appealed for enhanced police protection for Christian institutions during major festivals. “The protection of citizens is not a favour but a duty,” Cardinal Oswald Gracias said in a recent statement, adding that India’s development should not come “at the cost of any community living in fear while at prayer.” Delhi Archbishop Anil Couto referred to what he described as a “silence” on the part of authorities in the face of growing complaints of harassment and disruptions of worship.
“Sorry Christmas.” 🎄😢⚠️🙏
“Christmas is under attack in India.”
Caste Hindu goons attacked and vandalised a Christmas setup at a mall in Raipur.
The world is watching India. We are turning into a zombie society. Govts seems helpless before these goons. Pathetic situation! pic.twitter.com/WVES00sEsD
— Suraj Kumar Bauddh (@SurajKrBauddh) December 25, 2025
Reported incidents in several states
In Assam’s Nalbari district, local reports and Christian groups allege that activists associated with the VHP and Bajrang Dal entered St. Mary’s School in Panigaon on Christmas Eve, shouting religious slogans and damaging Christmas decorations. Some accounts say banners and posters were set on fire and that nearby shops selling festive items were also targeted; a local VHP functionary was quoted as opposing the celebration of what he termed a “non-Indian” festival in the area.
In Chhattisgarh, incidents were reported from both Raipur and Kanker districts in the days leading up to Christmas. At a Raipur shopping mall, a crowd linked by witnesses to right-wing groups reportedly vandalised Christmas displays on December 24, prompting a police complaint and a review of CCTV footage. In Kanker, a dispute over a Christian burial triggered wider clashes, with churches and homes of tribal Christians attacked and, in at least one case, a temple later set on fire in apparent retaliation, according to local fact-finding reports.
This Is How Christmas Is Being ‘Celebrated’ in India
Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh: Bajrang Dal activists gathered outside St. Alphonsus Cathedral Church, recited the Hanuman Chalisa, and staged a protest targeting Christian missionaries, turning a day meant for peace and celebration… pic.twitter.com/twrHYScQHw— Team Rising Falcon (@TheRFTeam) December 25, 2025
In Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur district, Christian organisations have reported disruptions of prayer meetings on December 20 and 22, with attendees accused by local groups of carrying out religious conversions. In one incident cited by rights monitors, a political functionary from the ruling party allegedly assaulted a visually impaired Christian woman during a charitable Christmas event; police intervention was later reported, though the status of the case remains unclear in public records.
Incidents in Delhi and other regions
In Delhi, videos and eyewitness accounts circulating on social media suggest that members of Hindutva groups confronted women and children wearing Santa hats in Lajpat Nagar, accusing them of proselytisation and asking them to leave public spaces. Similar complaints were reported from East of Kailash, where women dressed in Christmas-themed attire were allegedly chased away from a market area.
In Kerala’s Palakkad district, a children’s carol group in Pudussery was reportedly attacked by a man described by local sources as associated with the RSS–BJP, who allegedly beat some participants and damaged musical instruments; police subsequently arrested an accused in the case. In Odisha’s Puri, videos shared online showed roadside vendors selling Santa caps being confronted by groups insisting the area was “Hindu Rashtra” and objecting to the sale of Christmas items.
In Uttarakhand, reports from Haridwar indicate that a Christmas event at a hotel was called off after threats from local Hindutva outfits. In nearby Rishikesh, a small Christian gathering was allegedly disrupted by an individual who shouted religious slogans, criticised Christian texts as “foreign,” and demanded a halt to prayers, according to participants’ accounts. In Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly, Christian leaders reported that groups recited the Hanuman Chalisa outside a church during services, which they said was intended to disturb the congregation.
Further complaints from parts of Haryana and Rajasthan mention informal calls to boycott Christmas events and advisories discouraging schools from holding Christmas-themed programmes, though official responses have varied by district.
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Data, legal action and reactions
The United Christian Forum (UCF), which runs a national helpline, has reported 706 incidents involving Christians up to November 2025, noting that many involve disruptions of worship, social boycotts, or alleged false accusations of forced conversions. Civil society groups say First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered in only a fraction of cases and point to what they describe as a high “justice gap” between complaints and police action.
Some legal and human rights organisations also highlight the use of state-level anti-conversion laws, which are now in force in a dozen states, arguing that these provisions are sometimes invoked to justify raids on prayer meetings or to arrest pastors and lay leaders. In several cases documented by advocacy groups and social media accounts, counter-complaints have been filed against Christians under anti-conversion statutes even where they initially reported being attacked.
Father Anand David Xalxo of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ranchi said in a recent interview that many Christians feel “deeply hurt” by incidents of harassment and violence but are encouraged by teachings that emphasise forgiveness and prayer for those who oppose them. Opposition politicians, including leaders from the Congress and Trinamool Congress, have described the incidents as part of a “pattern” of organised targeting of minorities and have called on the Union and state governments to ensure impartial enforcement of law and order.
India is ranked 11th on the 2025 World Watch List of countries where Christians face high levels of persecution, according to advocacy group Open Doors, which notes that pressure on Christians tends to be strongest in several Bharatiya Janata Party–ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Human rights monitors say the recent Christmas-season incidents will likely form part of upcoming national and international assessments of religious freedom and communal relations in the country.
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