Hindu extremists attack Christmas celebrations, schools in India
Far-right Hindutva groups disrupt Christian festivities in Assam, vandalizing schools and shops amid wider pattern of anti-Christian attacks
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Hindu extremist groups stormed a Christian school and targeted Christmas-related businesses in India’s eastern state of Assam, disrupting celebrations and spreading fear in an incident that rights advocates say reflects a growing pattern of majoritarian intimidation against religious minorities.
Viral videos on social media show members of Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal entering the premises of St. Mary’s School in Nalbari district on Christmas Eve, tearing down decorations and setting fire to banners and posters prepared for Christmas programs.
Police later confirmed that the groups forced their way into the campus and warned school authorities against holding Christmas celebrations.
Witnesses said groups of men, some carrying sticks and iron rods, shouted religious slogans while forcing their way into St. Mary’s School in Panigaon village. Christmas preparations inside the campus were destroyed, and school authorities were warned not to hold celebrations on the premises.
After attacking the school, the groups moved through Nalbari town, targeting shops and shopping complexes selling Christmas decorations and festival items.
Eyewitnesses said Christmas goods were set on fire in front of stores, including near a local Jain temple, as the attackers declared that Christian festivals were unacceptable in the area.
Local residents said the violence created panic, forcing shopkeepers to shut down businesses and families to stay indoors. No serious injuries were reported, but the intimidation raised concerns about law and order and the safety of minority communities in the district.
The attackers publicly framed Christmas as a “foreign” festival, asserting that only Hindu religious practices were acceptable in public spaces.
Rights advocates say such rhetoric mirrors a broader ideological push by Hindutva groups to redefine Indian identity along exclusively Hindu lines, marginalizing Christians, Muslims, and other minorities.
The incident in Assam comes amid a wider surge in attacks on Christmas celebrations, churches, and Christian institutions across several Indian states in recent years. Similar incidents of vandalism and intimidation have been reported in central and northern India, often involving the same far-right groups.
Analysts warn that repeated disruptions of religious festivals, combined with limited accountability, have normalized extremist vigilantism and emboldened groups seeking to police culture, commerce, and belief through coercion rather than law.
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