TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Multiple incidents targeting Christmas celebrations were reported across India on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, according to Christian organizations and local authorities. Known incidents occurred in Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and Delhi.

The reports come amid findings by monitoring groups, including the United Christian Forum for Human Rights, which documented more than 700 anti-Christian incidents across India during 2025.

In what the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) described as a particularly shocking case, a Christmas programme in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, reportedly saw a visually impaired woman subjected to public verbal abuse and physical harassment. A video cited by the CBCI allegedly shows Anju Bhargava, identified as the BJP’s city vice-president, carrying out the harassment. The CBCI said it was “particularly shocked” by the video from Jabalpur and by the broader pattern of incidents targeting Christians, and demanded the immediate dismissal of Anju Bhargava from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), citing “egregious and dehumanizing conduct.”

In Nalbari district, Assam, members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal allegedly entered St. Mary’s English School in Panigaon village on Wednesday, December 24. According to reports, they vandalized and burned Christmas banners, posters, and decorations while chanting slogans praising Hindu gods. The group also reportedly damaged or burned Christmas-related items at nearby shops, stating that they were protesting celebrations of festivals they described as being of “non-Indian origin.”

At Magneto Mall in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, a mob armed with sticks—described by sources as being linked to right-wing groups—stormed the premises and destroyed Christmas decorations and installations. The attack occurred during a statewide bandh called by some Hindu groups protesting alleged religious conversions in Kanker district. Videos shared online reportedly show chaos and slogan-chanting during the incident. Police later registered an FIR against unidentified individuals in connection with the attack.

In Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, protests and disruptions were reported outside churches during the Christmas period. In several locations across Madhya Pradesh, Christian prayer meetings were reportedly interrupted.

In Odisha, roadside vendors selling Santa caps were allegedly harassed and accused of selling “Christian items” in what the perpetrators described as a “Hindu country.” In Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi, women wearing Santa caps were reportedly confronted by men described as being linked to a Hindu vigilante group and accused of attempting religious conversion. Vendors selling Christmas-related items were also reportedly threatened in multiple locations, although specific city names were not always provided.

Christian organizations and human rights groups urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure strict enforcement of law and order and to provide protection for Christian communities.