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This Christmas 2025, many cases of hate crimes and targeting of Christians have surfaced, yet again for another consecutive year. Right from harassing Christians who were peacefully celebrating on the ground to disrupting prayer meetings, the incidents have proliferated with growing attacks by the right-wing groups.
Last year too, The Quint had reported on the number of hate crime incidents before and during Christmas.
On 23 December, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) unequivocally condemned the "alarming" rise in alleged attacks on Christians and said it gravely undermined India’s constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion.
In the statement, the CBCI said it is "particularly shocked" by a video from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, where a woman with visual impairment attending a Christmas programme was publicly abused and physically harassed by BJP City Vice President Anju Bhargava.
CBCI is referring to this video:
In the video, she is seen covering the mouth of a visually impaired woman and allegedly using objectionable remarks such as, “You will remain blind even in your next birth.”
She also questioned the woman over applying sindoor and having children among Christians. In the next part of the video, Bhargava was seen holding the woman’s hand and engaging in a scuffle.
CBCI condemned these hateful acts in the strongest possible terms and urged both state governments and the Union Government to take urgent, visible action against all individuals and organisations spreading hatred and violence.
Prior to these incidents, in a letter dated 13 December, Surendra Gupta, VHP’s ‘Indrapastha Province Minister’, wrote a letter asserting that ‘organised efforts of religious conversion’ have been going on in various parts of the country for a long time and participation in festivals of other faiths may lead to social acceptance of other faiths.
There have also been several videos mocking Christians, Jesus and Christmas celebrations.
But more states have reported these communal attacks against Christians that seem to have intensified around Christmas.
(This is not an exhaustive list as such cases continue be reported and more developments will be added).
Uttar Pradesh
From Ghaziabad, a video that got circulated on 22 December on social media showed a man named Satyanisth Arya with ‘tilak’ on his forehead, disrupting the Christian prayer, harassing the pastor and his wife, chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and insulting ‘Bible’ and derogatory language against Mother Mary. He said, “Jesus Christ is not ours, ours is Ram Bhagwan."
Now, a complaint has been registered at Bengaluru’s Koramangala police against Arya after his actions were called out on social media.
In the video, Arya, along with a few associates, also asked: “What is Jesus Christ’s book?” When the priest responded, “The Gospel of John and the Bible,” the man launches into a tirade, mocking Christian beliefs and religious texts.
In another video from Bareilly, Bajrang Dal and VHP sat outside a local church and recited Hanuman Chalisa and shouted 'Jai Sri Ram' in the presence of police.
Chhattisgarh
In Raipur, Chhtattisgarh, Bajrang Dal and other right-wing groups vandalised Christmas decorations at a mall.
In the video, the mob could be seen destroying the Santa decorations and gifts adorned as decoration at the venue.
The tensions had been brewing the state. Just some days prior to the event, violence ensued at a Christian man's burial in Badetevda village, Kanker, Chhattisgarh. A mob set a man's home on fire, vandalised churches and torched a prayer hall. Stone pelting by the mob injured 20 police personnel as well.
Assam
Members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)-Bajrang Dal vandalised a school in Assam and damaged festival items at shops in Nalbari district of Assam, police said.
The incident took place at St Mary’s School in Nalbari’s Panigaon village wherein the mob could be seen setting fire to Christmas decorations and shouting “Jai Shri Ram."
Uttarakhand
In Haridwar, Uttarakhand, a Christmas programme scheduled to be held at a hotel, located on the banks of the Ganga, was cancelled following protests.
The Christmas event proposed for 24 December at the Bhagirathi Hotel was called off after opposition from Hindu organisations and the Teerth Purohit (pilgrimage priests) community.
The Bhagirathi Hotel, operated by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department, was to host a Christmas celebration for the first time. As soon as news of the event became public, Hindu organisations and pilgrimage priests began opposing it.
Teerth Purohit Ujjwal Pandit strongly objected to such a programme being held on the sacred banks of the Ganga and warned that if it was not cancelled, they would protest at the venue.
Ujjwal Pandit said, “Uttar Pradesh has become a strong centre for Sanatan traditions, culture, and the enthusiastic celebration of Hindu festivals. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, how have officials gathered the courage to permit such Christmas programmes on the banks of the Ganga? We oppose this, and under no circumstances will we allow such programmes to be organised on the Ganga’s banks.”
Amid the protests, Navneet Singh, General Manager of Atishay Company, which operates the hotel, said that the decision to cancel the programme was taken after objections from Hindu organisations.
He added that the hotel management had no intention of hurting the sentiments of any community or religion. According to him, the proposed programme included Ganga worship, aarti, and cultural programmes by children, all of which have now been cancelled.
The programme was to include a kids’ corner, a Santa Claus surprise, live music, dance performances, and a magic show. Activities such as a gala dinner with Ganga aarti in the evening, a DJ night, high tea, a tattoo artist, and pine tree painting were also proposed.
Madhya Pradesh
In Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, a Christmas event became controversial when Hindutva groups created an uproar, alleging religious conversion. The programme, held in a community hall on church premises, descended into chaos, with the situation nearly turning violent.
According to information from locals, a Christian organisation had organised a feast on the occasion of Christmas, to which a large number of differently abled students from the city’s school for the hearing- and visually-impaired, were invited.
During this time, members of the VHP, Bajrang Dal and BJP workers claim to have received a tip-off that religious conversion was allegedly being carried out under the guise of the programme. Following this, the workers reached the spot and clashed with people present in the church.
This was when BJP District Vice President Anju Bhargav harassed differently-abled Safalta Kartik. She said that she and her young daughter were abused and questioned on the basis of their religion. Safalta stated that she was never offered any inducement, nor was any conversion taking place, and that she happily attends this programme every year.
On the other hand, BJP city vice-president Anju Bhargava levelled allegations of religious conversion at the spot. The Christian community rejected these claims, saying that it was merely a Christmas feast organised for children.
In connection with the incident, the BJP has issued a show-cause notice to Anju Bhargava, seeking a written explanation within seven days. BJP district president Ratnesh Sonkar told The Quint that the notice was issued based on the viral video and that further action would be decided after receiving her response.
However, no FIR has been registered by the police in the matter so far. Jabalpur's Gorakhpur police station in-charge Nitin Kamal said that no written complaint has been received from either side yet, due to which a case could not be registered.
Odisha
In Puri, Odisha, street vendors selling Santa Claus costumes during Christmas were allegedly stopped by members of a right-wing group.
In a viral video, cow-protection activist Radha Madhav Das and his associates are seen preventing a child and a couple from selling Santa Claus outfits. They cite the land as belonging to the Jagannath temple and claim that such items should not be sold there.
The right-wing group members could be heard pressuring vendors, saying that India is a “Hindu nation” and that items related to Christian festivals are not acceptable here. The vendors were then forced to pack up their shops.
Puri SP Pratik Singh told The Quint that the police have taken cognisance of the viral video and are investigating the details and subjects in the video. He said maintaining law and order is the police’s responsibility and no one can be allowed to forcibly or through threats shut down someone’s business.
Delhi
In Delhi’s East of Kailash area, a controversy erupted after a few women wearing red Santa Claus caps were seen distributing pamphlets in a market. Some local residents objected to this and accused the women of religious proselytisation.
The women were then asked to leave the market. A video of the entire incident has gone viral on social media.
In the viral video, some people can be heard saying that the women were distributing pamphlets related to their religion and trying to influence others. However, Delhi Police has termed the viral claims misleading.
According to Delhi Police, the incident took place on 21 December in the East of Kailash area under the Amar Colony police station jurisdiction.
South East Delhi DCP Hemant Tiwari told the media that only a minor verbal argument occurred at the spot, which was immediately resolved. Neither side filed a complaint, nor was any PCR call made.
Kerala
In Kerala’s Palakkad district, an RSS worker has been arrested in connection with an alleged attack on children singing Christmas carols. The accused has been identified as Ashwin Raj, who allegedly attacked a group of children and broke their drum. The incident took place on Sunday night in the Puthussery area.
State education minister V Sivankutty said that schools in Kerala allegedly buckled under pressure from right-wing groups to cancel Christmas celebrations.
The minister cited incidents where school managements had returned money pooled in by students for the year-end celebrations under pressure from groups associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Some days ago, CPI (M) MP John Brittas had also posted about the Postal Circle Office cancelling Christmas celebrations.