By Suresh Mathew

New Delhi, Dec 26, 2024: Christmas celebrations were disrupted by violent incidents across India.

Reports of attacks on Christians have come from Manipur in northeastern India, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in the north, and Kerala, south.

The violence was allegedly carried out by rightwing Hindu groups , or Sangh Parivar organizations, such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) and Bajrang Dal (Brigade of the stout).

In one incident, a Pentecostal pastor was attacked by a man named Sonu Singh in Ludhiana, Punjab, on accusations of trying to convert people.

In Rajasthan’s Jodhpur and Jaisalmer cities, activists unleashed violence against teachers and students of schools celebrating Christmas.

In a bizarre incident at Indore in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, an employee of Zomato food delivery company, dressed as Santa Claus, was beaten up by the activists of the Hindu Jagran Manch (Forum for Hindu Awakening). The activists also released a video threatening Zomato workers.

Violent incidents were also reported from Manipur, where ethnic clashes have raged since May 3, 2023. Widespread violence was reported in various parts of the state on Christmas Day, with firing in Sinam Kom village in the eastern part of the state capital of Imphal.

In Kerala, three Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists attacked Christmas celebrations at a government school in Palakkad, leading to widespread protests. The violence has reportedly tarnished the Christmas diplomacy efforts of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)in the state.

The BJP Kerala leadership has demanded an investigation into the violence, which occurred on December 23, the same day Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Christmas with Christian leaders in Delhi.

However, several bishops have criticized the Sangh Parivar’s strategy of appeasement and violence, calling it “useless.”

2 Comments

  1. Persecution of Christians in India will continue. The CBCI-Modi meeting at the CBCI was just a DRAMA. Nothing else! The outcome of this meeting will be ZERO.

  2. All this despite Modi’s Christmas bonhomie with the Catholic bishops. Shame.

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