Christians face rising attacks ahead of Xmas across India
Assaults, intimidation, and church attacks highlight growing violence against Christian minorities during religious festivities
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A series of attacks and intimidation incidents targeting Christians across India during the Christmas season has sparked alarm among church leaders and rights groups, highlighting what they describe as a growing pattern of religious violence driven by Hindu majoritarian mobilization.
In central India, a video from Jabalpur showed a local leader affiliated with India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party harassing and physically assaulting a visually impaied woman inside a church.
The incident occurred during a Christmas-related charitable meal organized for visually impaired students and was triggered by allegations of religious conversion raised by Hindu right-wing groups.
The footage, which circulated widely online, shows the BJP functionary forcibly grabbing the woman’s face while accusing the church of coercive proselytisation. Police later confirmed that no forced conversion had taken place and said the students had been invited from a government-run hostel for food and prayers.
Despite this, the confrontation unfolded in the presence of law enforcement officers, raising questions about official response and protection for vulnerable worshippers.
Further south, in the coastal state of Kerala, police arrested a BJP–RSS member for allegedly attacking a Christmas carol group that included children in the village of Puthussery, near Palakkad.
According to authorities, the accused and his associates disrupted the group late at night, shouting that Christian carol singing would not be allowed in the area. The arrest came amid heightened sensitivity following recent caste-based violence in the region, underscoring broader concerns about mob behavior and impunity.
Christian leaders say these incidents are part of a nationwide surge in hostility during the Christmas period. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) issued a strong statement expressing “deep anguish” over what it described as an alarming rise in attacks against Christians, particularly carol singers and congregations gathered for prayer.
The bishops warned that vigilante accusations of forced conversion — a recurring theme in many recent incidents — are being used to justify harassment, violence, and public intimidation. They appealed directly to India’s Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure strict enforcement of the law and proactive protection so Christians can celebrate Christmas without fear.
Beyond Jabalpur and Kerala, violence and intimidation were reported in multiple states. In Chhattisgarh, mobs torched at least two churches and damaged Christian homes in Kanker district following a local dispute earlier this month, clashing with police over two nights.
In the national capital Delhi, groups confronted women and children dressed as Santa Claus during public carol singing, forcing them to disperse after accusing them of proselytization.
Similar incidents were reported in Puri, a coastal pilgrimage city in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, where roadside vendors selling Christmas decorations were threatened by men declaring India a “Hindu Rashtra” (Hindu-only Nation).
In Kurukshetra, a historic city in northern Haryana, where organizers reported intimidation aimed at halting Christmas celebrations.
Rights advocates say the clustering of such incidents around Christmas reflects a broader climate in which Christian religious expression is increasingly portrayed as suspect or threatening.
They argue that accusations of forced conversion — often dismissed by police after investigation — have become a common pretext for disrupting worship and intimidating minority communities.
Analysts warn that unless authorities respond decisively, the normalization of such behavior risks eroding constitutional protections for religious freedom. For India’s Christians, who make up a small but historically rooted minority, the Christmas season has increasingly become a period of anxiety rather than celebration.
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