Assam: Fringe outfit vandalises school to protest Christmas festivities

Activists of a fringe Hindutva outfit vandalised Christmas celebrations at a school and torched festive items at shops in Assam’s Nalbari district on Tuesday, police said, in the latest instance of disruptions targeting Christian events during the Christmas season.

According to a police official, members of the group staged a protest against the celebration of Christmas in Nalbari town before forcing their way into St Mary's School in Panigaon village. The activists allegedly damaged decorations, burnt banners and posters announcing Christmas Day programmes, and warned the school authorities against holding celebrations on the premises.

The group was identified as members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad Bajrang Dal. The activists reportedly raised 'jai Shri Ram' slogans during the protest.

After leaving the school, the group moved through Nalbari town, targeting shops selling Christmas-related goods. Police said the activists set fire to decorative items outside several shops near the Jain Mandir area and later entered shopping malls and other commercial establishments to burn Christmas merchandise.

“We don’t want Christian festivals here. Trade in festivals of Indian origin. But we do not accept doing business with a festival of non-Indian origin,” VHP-Bajrang Dal Nalbari district secretary Bhaskar Deka told reporters.

Police said no FIR had been registered so far, as no formal complaint had been filed by the school authorities or shop owners.

The incident comes amid a spate of reported disruptions, vandalism and intimidation linked to Christmas celebrations in several parts of the country in recent weeks, drawing concern from church groups and civil rights organisations.

Earlier this month, Christmas prayers were allegedly disrupted in parts of Madhya Pradesh, where right-wing groups accused churches of forced religious conversions — a charge repeatedly denied by Christian leaders. In Karnataka, activists affiliated with Hindutva organisations were reported to have entered churches and prayer halls during the Christmas season, demanding proof that congregations had official permission to hold services.

Similar incidents have been reported from Uttar Pradesh, where pastors and church workers said they were questioned or briefly detained by police following complaints by right-wing groups during Christmas gatherings. In some districts, organisers said they were forced to cancel or scale down celebrations after receiving threats.

Christian organisations have said such incidents have increased in frequency in recent years, particularly around religious festivals, creating an atmosphere of fear among minority communities. They argue that Christmas celebrations, including school programmes and public decorations, have traditionally been observed peacefully across India for decades.

Rights groups have also pointed out that many of the disruptions occur despite the absence of complaints from local residents, and often hinge on claims that Christianity or Christmas is “foreign” — an argument they say ignores India’s long history of Christian presence.

With PTI inputs