Interfaith council in India condemns attacks on minorities
Religious leaders, civil society figures warn of rising faith-based violence after attacks on Christmas events across multiple Indian states
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — An interfaith council of religious leaders and civil society figures has condemned a series of attacks targeting Christian communities during Christmas celebrations across India, warning that violence against religious minorities is becoming increasingly normalized.
The Inter-Religious Solidarity Council (IRSC) made the remarks at a press conference held at the Mumbai Press Club, convened amid reports of vandalism, assaults and intimidation linked to Christmas events in several states. The meeting was chaired by advocate Irfan Engineer, director of the Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism and IRSC co-convenor.
Participants described multiple incidents that, they said, illustrated a wider pattern of religion-based extremism. In Assam’s Nalbari district, St. Mary’s School in Panigaon village was vandalized, shops selling festival items were damaged, Christmas decorations were set ablaze and provocative slogans were raised.
In the central Indian city of Jabalpur, a local vice president of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was accused of abusing and assaulting a visually impaired woman at a Christmas gathering.
Speakers also cited the vandalism of a school during celebrations in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district and the harassment of two Christian women in a Mumbai suburb on December 11 while they were distributing pamphlets.
“These are only a few among many such incidents reported during the Christmas season,” participants said, warning against treating the attacks as isolated events.
Leaders from Hindu, Muslim and Christian traditions jointly condemned the violence and called for adherence to constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. Prabhu Keshav Chandra Das of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness said India’s civilizational ethos has historically emphasized coexistence and collective responsibility rather than exclusion.
Christian representatives warned that a surge in hate speech, threats, physical and psychological harassment, and false accusations was increasingly obstructing community services.
Father S M Michael of the Archdiocesan Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue said such hostility was creating barriers to humanitarian work undertaken by Christian organizations, including assistance to the poor, the hungry and other marginalized groups.
Islamic scholar Maulana Rooh-e-Zaffar urged a shift from hate to harmony, while Humayun Shaikh of the Jamaat-e-Islami framed the attacks as politically driven rather than religious in nature.
Citing the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, Shaikh said opposing injustice required stopping the oppressor, not remaining silent. He called for inter-community dialogue, stronger ties through inclusive gatherings at places of worship, and collective assertion of constitutional rights through faith-based solidarity.
Civil activist Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, challenged narratives that blame minorities for the violence directed at them, arguing that silence from the wider public amounted to complicity.
The council called on authorities to ensure decisive law-enforcement action, warning that continued inaction risked deepening social divisions and further eroding India’s constitutional commitment to pluralism.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
