By Satinder Bains
CHANDIGARH: Widespread violence and intimidation against the Christian community on the eve and day of Christmas has brought deep shame to India and tarnished its global image. Disturbing reports of attacks on churches, harassment of worshippers, and disruption of Christmas celebrations emerged from several states, notably Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh Haryana and Madhya Pradesh—states governed by the BJP.
Christmas, a festival symbolising peace, compassion and goodwill, was turned into a day of fear for many Christians. Children celebrating Christmas were allegedly forced out of venues, worshippers were stopped from entering churches, and religious decorations were vandalised. The pattern of attacks points to an alarming rise in organised hostility against minorities, particularly Christians and Muslims, under the banner of Hindutva.
This sustained targeting of minority communities is not merely a domestic concern; it carries serious international repercussions. The persecution of Christians in India risks provoking backlash against Hindu minorities abroad, just as the spread of communal hatred has already fuelled tensions in neighbouring countries. The cycle of hate threatens India’s social fabric and undermines centuries-old traditions of pluralism and coexistence.
The hypocrisy of the ruling establishment stood exposed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited a church in the national capital for prayers, even as organisations linked to the BJP’s ideological ecosystem—such as the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad—were allegedly involved in disrupting Christmas celebrations across the country. While the Prime Minister projects harmony and inclusiveness on international platforms and during visits to Christian- and Muslim-majority nations, his silence on the actions of his party’s affiliates at home is glaring.
Media reports documented multiple incidents where law enforcement failed to act, and in some cases appeared to facilitate the miscreants. In Uttar Pradesh cities like Lucknow and Bareilly, and in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, no meaningful action was reported against those who disrupted Christmas events. In Raipur, Bajrang Dal activists allegedly vandalised Christmas decorations worth lakhs of rupees at a prominent mall. A video from Jabalpur showed a BJP-linked local leader harassing and assaulting a visually impaired Christian woman attending a Christmas programme. In Odisha, roadside vendors selling Santa caps were reportedly harassed for selling what were termed “Christian items” in a “Hindu” country.
In Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar area, women wearing Santa caps were allegedly harassed by men linked to a Hindu vigilante group, accused of attempting religious conversion—an absurd and dangerous allegation.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India expressed grave concern and urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure strict enforcement of the law and proactive protection for Christian communities so that Christmas could be celebrated peacefully. Instead, the day passed with intimidation unchecked and accountability absent. Not a single senior BJP leader publicly condemned the attacks.
Christian bodies and human rights organisations have sounded a clear alarm over what they describe as an “alarming” surge in targeted violence. Harassment of carol singers, congregations and church gatherings was reported from multiple regions.
India cannot claim moral leadership or global respect while allowing mobs to dictate who may pray, celebrate or exist without fear. Silence in the face of such injustice is not neutrality—it is complicity