"Christian Items Not Allowed": Hindu Mobs Attack 80+ Children and Christmas Celebrations Across India
More than 80 incidents of violent attacks, hate speeches, and intimidation targeting Christians were reported during Christmas week across India, according to International Christian Concern.
The attacks, linked to groups affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and other right wing Hindu organizations including the militant Bajrang Dal, occurred in multiple states including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand, New Delhi, and Kerala.
In Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur, Christmas decorations at a shopping mall were vandalized by a mob of nearly 90 men believed to be Hindu nationalists. On Christmas Eve, an umbrella body of tribal and social organizations called Sarva Samaj demanded a statewide shutdown of Chhattisgarh, claiming "illegal conversions" and jeopardizing Christmas shopping. In Assam, a mob affiliated with Bajrang Dal and VHP stormed St. Mary's English School in Nalbari, burning the nativity scene and destroying Christmas decorations. Four district level leaders were arrested.
In Kerala, traditionally considered safe for Christians, a group of children participating in a Christmas carol procession was attacked and their instruments destroyed by a man reportedly associated with RSS.
Kerala BJP state leader C. Krishnakumar dismissed the victims as a "drunken criminal gang" and suggested political motives behind their caroling. In Madhya Pradesh, right wing vigilante groups stormed a church in Jabalpur and assaulted a visually impaired woman. The attack was led by a regional leader within the ruling BJP party.
Christian children attacked in Kerela singing carols...
Widely shared video from Odisha showed Hindu men harassing roadside vendors selling Santa hats, claiming the sale of "Christian items" was not allowed as India is a "Hindu rashtra" or Hindu state, which excludes Muslim and Christian minorities. In Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, groups gathered outside a cathedral to protest Christmas prayers, alleging the gathering was cover for conversions. Amid police presence, the group recited Hindu chants and slogans.
In Haridwar, a government run hotel operated by UP Tourism was forced to cancel its "Experience Christmas" event scheduled for December 24 after priests from Ganga Sabha and other Hindu groups protested, claiming celebrating Christmas near the holy Ganges river was "anti Hindu" and against local traditions.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad publicly urged Hindus to avoid participating in Christmas events, describing such engagement as a threat to "cultural awareness."
While attacks blazed across India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who heads the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, attended two Christmas events including a Christmas Mass in a prominent New Delhi church and a luncheon hosted by Roman Catholic priests.
Modi drew criticism for attending celebrations while taking no concrete steps to end violence against Christians. Many incidents were not reported to police by victims but received wide coverage in national and international media. Authorities where incidents occurred made little effort to curb them or warn perpetrators.
Indian National Congress Parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor expressed "deep concern over the rising fear and anxiety among Christians in India," stating, "Sadly, there are attacks on Christians in different places of the country." Television journalist Rajdeep Sardesai condemned the attacks, saying they "reveal what the normalization of hateful propaganda can do to a civil society" and called police "complicit bystanders." Bombay Catholic Sabha spokesperson Dolphy D'Souza stated, "Attacks are not isolated law and order issues. They strike at the heart of our Constitution."
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
Mobs burning nativity scenes.
Children attacked while caroling.
Vendors harassed for selling Santa hats because "Christian items" aren't allowed in a "Hindu state."
Meanwhile, India's Hindu nationalist Prime Minister attends Christmas Mass for photo ops while his party's militant wings terrorize Christians nationwide. This is what religious persecution looks like when the government enables it through calculated inaction.
The BJP leader calling attacked children a "drunken criminal gang" exposes the playbook. Demonize victims. Justify violence. Deny reality. When 90 men vandalize Christmas decorations and authorities do nothing, when mobs storm schools burning nativity scenes and only four get arrested, when police stand by watching Hindu groups threaten Christians outside cathedrals, that's not law enforcement failure. That's state sanctioned persecution.
India markets itself as the world's largest democracy while systematically marginalizing its 28 million Christians. The RSS and affiliated groups operate with impunity because they're the ideological backbone of the ruling party. Modi's Christmas appearances are theater designed to placate international criticism while his political allies unleash Hindu nationalist mobs to intimidate Christians into silence and submission. The message is clear: Christians are tolerated guests in a Hindu nation, not equal citizens with constitutional rights.
Western nations that crow about human rights violations everywhere else stay conspicuously silent on India because they need Modi as a counterweight to China. So 80 Christmas attacks get ignored. Christians live in fear. And comfortable Western believers enjoy their peaceful celebrations while Indian children get beaten for singing carols. This is the cost of geopolitical convenience paid in Christian blood and tears.
TAKE ACTION
International Christian Concern India: Website: https://www.persecution.org Email: icc@persecution.org Phone: +1 800 422 5441 Support emergency relief and advocacy for persecuted Indian Christians
Contact Your Government: Demand India face consequences for systematic persecution of Christians. Raise human rights violations in bilateral meetings and trade negotiations. US: https://www.house.gov and https://www.senate.gov UK: https://www.parliament.uk
Open Doors India: Website: https://www.opendoorsuk.org Support persecuted believers in India with emergency aid and legal defense
Pray for Indian Christians: Intercede for the 28 million Christians facing increasing Hindu nationalist violence. Pray for protection, courage, and justice for victims of Christmas attacks.
Share Their Stories: Post about India's persecution of Christians on social media. Force Western governments and media to acknowledge what's happening. Use hashtags like #IndiaPersecution and #ChristmasAttacks
Bombay Catholic Sabha: Support Indian Christian organizations advocating for constitutional rights and religious freedom within India's legal system
