In India, Christmas is marked by reports of Sangh-linked organisations attacking Christians |
With Christmas around the corner, festivities for Christians in India have been overshadowed by reports of targeted attacks on the community by Hindutva right-wing groups. Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, and other states saw mobs harassing or assaulting Christian groups during prayer meetings and carol processions. In Kerala, a group of carolling children were attacked, and some schools cancelled Christmas celebrations following Sangh Parivar instructions.
The attacks are sowing fear even as top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including Prime Minister Narendra Modi are putting on a display of camaraderie. Modi is expected to take part in the Christmas service at a cathedral in the national capital.
Aside from instances of physical violence, certain states also witnessed other expressions of hatred. In Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar area, members of the Bajrang Dal, a group affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) allegedly accused a group of Christian women carollers of religious proselytisation. A video garnering attention on social media shows a kurta clad man in Odisha yelling at street vendors selling Santa Claus hats. “This is a Hindu Rashtra. We won’t tolerate Christians here,” he can be heard saying.
In yet another instance, a man who goes by the name Sri Satyanisth Arya could be seen yelling at a public event, “No Christians shall follow the Bible. Am I clear?” followed by calls of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Jesus Christ is not ours, ours is Ram Bhagwan.”
In Chhattisgarh, meanwhile, a state-wide bandh was called on December 24 by the right-wing group Sarva Samaj, alleging that the state is witnessing ‘forced conversions’.
The state has seen many instances of violence against Christians this year. On December 15, a mob in Chhattisgarh allegedly created a ruckus over a tribal Christian man’s body being buried in his family’s farmland, claiming that the land belonged to a local deity. In July 2025, two Malayali nuns were arrested in the state on charges of trafficking and forced conversion. A video that surfaced at the time showed Bajrang Dal member Jyoti Sharma threatening them inside a police station.
Further south in Kerala, a group of........