As a child, I always looked forward to the final days of December, largely because of the Christmas celebrations in my city. During those days, the bells of the church near our home would gently wake us in the morning. I would sometimes leave the house before dawn, heading straight to the church, where some of my friends already gathered. After the morning prayer, small hot air balloons were released into the sky. Watching them float above was a magical experience. At that time, we had no idea of the breathtaking hot air balloons in Cappadocia, Türkiye.
The view outside the church in the evening was equally mesmerizing. The light seemed to fill every corner, creating a unique and magical glow. One of the most remarkable things about that time was that no one ever asked about your religion. The church welcomed people of all faiths, and anyone could come and go freely. This inclusivity stands in stark contrast to today, where a Muslim would likely find it difficult to visit Hindu temples in our city, as many are now officially closed off to non-Hindus. It’s a poignant reminder of how things have changed over time.
Lost in these thoughts, I suddenly felt the urge to call a childhood friend, Wilson. The conversation was long, but it lacked the joy and laughter that used to fill our chats when we were kids. One reason for this is that back then, we were children, and now we have children of our own. But as Wilson mentioned, another reason is the drastic change in the country’s atmosphere. Now, during every festival—regardless of the religion—a certain fear lingers in people’s hearts and minds.
Day by day, festivals are increasingly marked by parades of people marching through the streets, often armed, with their procession routes frequently passing through our area. The excitement seems to heighten as they move past us. Wilson asked me to picture a scenario: “Imagine you’re asleep at night, and suddenly, 10–20 bikers race past your house, shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram.’”
She also shared her growing fear about visiting villages. “Nowadays, there’s a constant anxiety that you might get caught in a situation where you’re accused of forced religious conversion—and possibly beaten. Because of this, I’ve become more hesitant to even visit the homes of Hindu friends,” Wilson expressed. She also mentioned that the situation is relatively better in our city, but in some states, Christian villagers were asked to leave their homes before Christmas.
Her words were deeply disturbing, especially because, in India, this has unfortunately become all too common. Just last year, in my own city, five people—including an American tourist—were detained on charges of allegedly practicing “religious conversion.” In my district Champaran, Bihar, this has become a monthly occurrence. This is particularly surprising given the significant contributions the Christian community has made to our city. What distinguishes this Christian community in our city is that it is one of the oldest ethnoreligious Christian communities in the northern Indian subcontinent.
Most of the Bettiah city’s (city in Champaran, Bihar) prominent schools are run by Christians. There is even a Christian colony, known as the Christian Quarter, located on about 90 acres adjacent to Raj Deori in Bettiah city. This area is considered one of the quieter parts of the city. However, it is also where many of the city’s miscreants gather, as it houses St. Teresa’s, the city’s most well-known girls’ school. In addition to St. Teresa’s, there are around 50 other schools, both large and small, established by the Christian community, with more schools spread throughout the city.
Despite these contributions, hatred towards the Christian community and Muslims is growing among certain ideological groups in the city. Every effort is made to target these communities, particularly during festivals.
Here, I have attempted to document some of the hateful incidents that have happened across the country on the occasion of Christmas. These are just a few cases that have gained attention on social media or have been reported by various news websites.
— Ahmedabad (Gujarat): The Hindutva extremist group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) raided South International School in Bapunagar, compelling the school administration to remove Christmas decorations and halt all related celebrations.
— Balasore (Odisha): Members of the Hindu far-right group Deva Sena, along with other villagers, tied two women to a tree and harassed them for celebrating Christmas in Gobardhanpur village, accusing them of promoting religious conversion.
— Bhavnagar (Gujarat): Members of the VHP and Bajrang Dal interrupted a Christian prayer on Christmas Day by halting the proceedings, chanting “Jai Shri Ram,” and reciting the Hanuman Chalisa. The situation quickly escalated into a tense standoff, with Bajrang Dal members shouting aggressive slogans at the worshippers and demanding they provide permission to conduct the prayers.
— Burhanpur (Madhya Pradesh): The Hindu Mahasabha has lodged a complaint with the collector regarding the celebration of Christmas at a girls’ hostel in the area. They argue that festivals should not be celebrated in schools or hostels.
— Etah (Uttar Pradesh): A woman was molested by local youths while returning home late at night after a Christmas party with her husband. When her husband intervened to protect her, he was physically attacked and left bleeding.
— Fatehpur (Uttar Pradesh): On December 27, two days after Christmas, members of the VHP and Bajrang Dal forcibly shaved the head of a Christian Dalit man and paraded him through the village, accusing him of promoting religious conversions. They then took him to a temple, where they reportedly performed a ritual to convert him back to Hinduism, while chanting slogans such as “Jesus Murdabad.”
— Hyderabad (Telengana): Before Christmas, a case emerged involving two YouTubers, Karunakar Sugguna and Praveen Kumar, who made derogatory comments against the Christian community. Following a complaint, the Punjagutta police registered a case and began investigating the matter. During the investigation, police discovered that Karunakar had uploaded a video on his YouTube channel containing offensive remarks about the Christian community. At the same time, Praveen Kumar was found to be supporting Karunakar by making insensitive comments and inciting people to gather in large numbers at the Punjagutta police station.
— Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Karni Sena staged a protest outside Central Mall, waving saffron flags, over the installation of a Christmas tree outside the mall. In response to the installation of the Christmas tree, these Hindutva extremists erected a cut-out of Lord Ram.
— Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A Zomato delivery driver was stopped by activists from the right-wing Hindu Jagran Manch and instructed to remove the Santa Claus costume he was wearing for Christmas celebrations.
— Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): On December 23, two days before Christmas, two unidentified individuals vandalized and discarded the statue of Mother Mary in Usri village, located in the Narsinghpur area. The statue was later found a kilometer away from the church, completely broken. The Christian community has filed an FIR at the Mungawani police station regarding the incident.
— Jaisalmer (Rajasthan): Activists from the Hindutva extremist organization Vishwa Hindu Parishad met with the district collector to protest Christmas programs in schools. They raised concerns about alleged “conversion efforts and religious denigration” by missionary educational institutions in the district. Specifically, they opposed the practice of dressing students as Santa Claus during Christmas celebrations.
— Jaunpur (Uttar Pradesh): Police raided a Christian prayer meeting on Christmas and arrested five people on allegations of religious conversion.
— Jodhpur (Rajasthan): Bajrang Dal activists protested against Christmas programs being held at several private schools in the area. They tore down and burned the posters promoting the Christmas events displayed outside the schools.
— Khasi Hills (Meghalaya): A Hindutva activist entered a church in Mawlynnong village and shouted “Jai Shri Ram.” The individual has been identified as Akash Sagar, a social media influencer with 1.5 million followers.
— Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): A large crowd of Hindus gathered outside a prominent Roman Catholic church in the heart of Lucknow on Christmas, loudly chanting “Hare Krishna Hare Ram” in an apparent attempt to disrupt Christian prayers attended by around 1,000 people.
— Madhya Pradesh: Ahead of Christmas, the Madhya Pradesh Child Rights Protection Commission issued a directive to all schools stating that children will not be allowed to wear costumes or portray characters during any event or program without parental consent. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has also issued a warning regarding Christmas programs in schools, stating that there will be a reaction to any such activities and that educational institutions will be held responsible.
— Manipur: Reports indicate widespread violence in several parts of the state on Christmas Day, including gunfire in Sinam Kom village, located east of the state capital, Imphal. Ethnic clashes have been ongoing since May 3, 2023, and according to reports, around 400 churches have been destroyed.
— Mumbai (Maharashtra): In the Kashimira area, Hindutva extremists not only halted the Christmas celebrations but also forced the children participating in the event to chant “We are Hindus.” They then made the children recite the Hanuman Chalisa and shout the slogan “Jai Shri Ram.” The celebration had been organized in a slum area.
— Palakkad (Kerala): On December 20, a children’s program was organized at a school in Nallepuli, Chittoor, to celebrate Christmas. During the event, three VHP activists arrived, vandalized the Christmas crib, questioned the students’ costumes, and made derogatory comments about the teachers in front of the children. After the school administration filed a complaint, the three activists were detained by the police.
— Pathanamthitta (Kerala): A Christmas carol party at a church was attacked by suspected Hindutva extremists on Wednesday morning. The attack took place while the group was singing carols at the homes of residents in the Kumbanad area. Police have arrested four individuals in connection with the incident.
— Rohtak (Haryana): A Christmas program was halted by Hindutva extremist organizations, who accused the organizers of religious conversion. Wrestler Khali was invited as the chief guest for the event. As the situation escalated, the police arrived at the scene, and after discussions with both parties, the program was canceled.
— Siddharthnagar (Uttar Pradesh): Hindu nationalists, including members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, protested against Christmas prayers at a missionary school’s church, blocking attendees from entering and accusing them of engaging in religious conversions.
— Sitapur (Uttar Pradesh): In the Sidhauli Kotwali area, just days before Christmas, seven Christians were arrested, and a case was filed against them under the anti-conversion law. The usual accusation is that they were attempting to convert poor and vulnerable individuals by offering work and financial incentives.
— Sitapur (Uttar Pradesh): Pastor Elgin was arrested the day after Christmas in Katsariya village on charges of alleged conversion. According to the police, Pastor Elgin was accused of encouraging residents to convert. Other suspects are being questioned in connection with the case. However, residents claim that only those who celebrated Christmas in their homes are being interrogated.
— Surat (Gujarat): A community gathering to celebrate Christmas sparked brief tension in a village when neighbors alleged that the event was being used to preach religious sermons. The police intervened to resolve the situation, and no complaint was filed.
— Tapi (Gujarat): A group of youths allegedly spreading the message of Jesus Christ in a market area of Songadh town faced opposition from some local residents. The police intervened to resolve the situation, and no complaint was filed.
— Telangana: A teacher at a government school in a village in southern India was suspended for distributing Bibles in Christmas gift boxes packed inside school bags. The gift boxes contained stationery, water bottles, a small copy of the New Testament, and a card with Christmas and New Year greetings.
— Thrissur (Kerala): On the evening of December 24, Sub-Inspector Sri Vijayan of the Chavakkad police station halted a carol performance scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. at St. Thomas Church in Palayur. He stated that the church did not have permission to use loudspeakers for the event.
— Unnao (Uttar Pradesh): Members of the VHP and Bajrang Dal disrupted a Christmas celebration in Kheswa village, harassing the villagers and accusing them of engaging in religious conversion. Along with the police, they alleged that the Christmas celebration was being used as a platform for conversion activities.
All these events are unfolding in “New India” where Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself attended the Christmas celebrations organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI). At the same time, he has criticized the 2019 Easter bombings in Sri Lanka and the recent attacks on Christmas markets in Germany. It seems that while the attack on the Christmas market in Germany has “pained his heart”, the ongoing attacks on Christians within India itself do not appear to elicit the same response from him.
There may be similar incidents occurring in other parts of the country that have not yet made headlines. All of this is happening because of the growing hatred in the country. Those who advocate for turning India into a Hindu Nation seem determined to undermine any sense of brotherhood among its people.
The way Hindu nationalist groups are weaponizing India’s festivals is deeply concerning. The most alarming aspect is that festivals, which once served to bring people of different religions together, are now driving them further apart.
(Afroz Alam Sahil is a journalist and author. He can be contacted at @afrozsahil on X)
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