MUMBAI – Police in the Indian state of Assam arrested four people in connection with the violent disruption of Christmas celebrations at St. Mary’s School, Panigaon, in Assam’s Nalbari district, on December 24.
The persons arrested were allegedly associated with the radical Hindu nationalist group Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the VHP youth wing, known as Bajrang Dal – the “Brigade of Bajrangbali” – devoted to a Hindu deity revered as a companion to Rama, a central figure in foundational Hindu cosmology.
The arrests came after miscreants stormed the St. Mary’s School campus, vandalized decorations, and set festive items ablaze while shouting religious slogans. St. Mary’s is a prominent Catholic school in the area, serving pupils from pre-K through 10th grade.
The persons were identified as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s district Secretary Bhaskar Deka, its district Vice President Manash Jyoti Patgiri, its Assistant Secretary Biju Dutta and the Bajrang Dal’s district Convenor Nayan Talukdar.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal are among the Hindu nationalist groups under the umbrella of a national paramilitary volunteer organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which includes India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Reports say the disruptors entered the school premises around 2:30pm in Assam, seeking to meet the school principal, Fr. Baiju Sebastian, who was away to meet with the District Commissioner. They instead confronted the Superior Sister and Regent Brother.
Witnesses claimed nearly 20 men engaged in the disruption, during which they removed signs and pulled down LED lights, and shouted slogans. Videos of the incident later circulated on social media.
Assam is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas. According to the 2011 census, 61.47 percent of the population were Hindus, 34.22 percent were Muslims, and 3.7 percent were Christians. The chief minister of the state is Himanta Biswa Sarma, a prominent figure in the BJP.
Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, said it was worrying to see a contradiction between public gestures and ground realities.
The Cardinal also highlighted recent attacks on the community, specifically the assault on a carol group in Kerala’s Palakkad by an RSS worker, reported India Today.
India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi of the BJP, attended a morning service at the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in New Delhi on Christmas Day.
“On one side, Prime Minister Modi receiving Church leaders and exchanging Christmas greetings. On the other hand, attacks on Christians engaged in Christmas festivities are being reported from a few places,” Cleemis told India Today.
“This is disheartening,” the Cardinal said, stressing the need for harmony to be reflected in practice.
Cleemis also questioned the efficacy of government assurances when violence continues, noting that despite raising issues with those in power, “When it comes to putting those statements in action, they have failed.”
Modi’s attendance at Christmas morning services in the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in Delhi on Thursday came as attacks on the Christian community and on Christmas celebrations were reported across India in the last few days.
“May Christmas bring renewed hope, warmth and a shared commitment to kindness,” the prime minister wrote on X, with a video clip of him attending the service.
In the run-up to Christmas, however, Christian organizations outlined an atmosphere of fear and appealed to the government for help.
Incidents of violence and vandalism were reported from Kerala to Assam.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of India letter on December 23 said the reported attacks particularly against carol singers and congregations gathered in churches seriously undermined India’s constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion.
The bishops highlighted a viral video from Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur that showed a visually impaired woman at a Christmas event being abused and harassed by Anju Bhargava, city vice-president of the BJP.
In Chhattisgarh, the Sarva Hindu Samaj called a statewide shutdown on Christmas Eve, while Christmas decorations were also vandalized at a mall in Raipur.
One video, from Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar market, showed men – identified as allegedly linked to the Bajrang Dal – confronting women and children wearing Santa Claus caps and forcing them to leave, accusing them of religious conversion.
Similar clips from other states, including Odisha, showed hawkers being evicted for selling Santa caps, with vigilantes declaring that such symbols were not allowed in a “Hindu Rashtra” – i.e., a Hindu nation.
