NEW DELHI, JANUARY 2026 – What should have been a season of joy and interfaith celebration turned into a nightmare for India’s Christian community in 2025. Across states, Hindutva mobs attacked churches, disrupted worship, vandalised decorations, and harassed carolers, exposing a deep chasm between India’s constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and the reality on the ground.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a Christmas service in New Delhi, projecting a message of inclusivity, Christians in multiple states endured violence, intimidation, and systemic neglect.

Hindutva Mobs On The Streets:

In Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, a Christmas programme for blind children became the scene of a public assault when BJP city vice-president Anju Bhargava accused attendees of “forcible conversions”. Videos show her shouting at participants, grabbing faces, and warning the visually impaired that they would remain blind in their next life. Hindutva mobs accompanying her reportedly threatened and harassed children, leaving them terrified and hungry. Police filed no First Information Report (FIR) against the attackers.

“On Dec. 20, a mob stormed our gathering, beat me, cursed these blind children, and disrupted everything based on false allegations,” said Pastor Dharmendra Jena, organiser of the event. “Watching them leave hungry and frightened broke my heart.”

In Chhattisgarh, violence escalated beyond symbolic attacks. Christians were beaten, homes and churches torched, and entire villages pressured to renounce their faith, often in front of law enforcement that either refused to intervene or was complicit.

“Law and order have broken completely. Hindutva mobs attack Christians almost daily, and the administration does nothing,” said a pastor who requested anonymity.

Similar attacks were reported across Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Gujarat, Odisha, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh, including disrupted carolling, vandalised shops selling Christmas items, and prayer services interrupted by chants of “Jai Shri Ram.”

Police Response: Complicity And Inaction.

Investigations show a troubling pattern: police were present during many attacks yet failed to intervene, and when Christians filed complaints, authorities often delayed, refused, or manipulated FIRs.

• In Jabalpur, no FIR was filed despite video evidence showing a BJP official assaulting a blind woman.
• In Mardum village, Bastar district, Chhattisgarh, police reportedly watched as mobs looted grain, attacked Christian families, and destroyed homes.
• In Kanker district, officials exhumed a body without family consent while mobs burned churches and homes; police claimed the dispute was “resolved socially.”

Activists note that law enforcement often targets Christians for conversion charges instead of protecting them, reflecting institutional bias and tacit support for Hindutva mobs.

“When authorities fail to act against Hindutva mobs, the signal is clear: Christians are fair game,” said A.C. Michael, national coordinator of the United Christian Forum.

Impact On Schools, Carolers, And Christian Families:

The violence has disrupted community life and educational institutions:

• Schools cancelled Christmas celebrations in Kerala, Odisha, and Gujarat after threats from Hindutva groups. Funds collected from students for festivities were returned.
• Carolers were harassed and, in some cases, attacked. In Palakkad, Kerala, an RSS worker destroyed the instruments of teenagers singing carols. In Assam, Hindutva mobs torched Christmas decorations in St. Mary’s School in Nalbari.
• Families were displaced after attacks on homes and churches. In Chhattisgarh, mobs destroyed dozens of houses and burned church buildings, forcing Christian families to flee.

“Our community met in prayer, and mobs knocked on our doors demanding we renounce our faith or be beaten,” said a Christian family in Madhya Pradesh.
“We had to hide our icons, cancel our carols, and watch people harassed for wearing Santa hats by Hindutva mobs. It felt like Christmas was under curfew.” — Carol singer in Kerala.

These attacks are not only physical but psychological, instilling fear and forcing communities to self-censor or abandon celebrations.

Church Leaders Speak Out:

Senior church leaders condemned the attacks as a violation of the moral fabric of the nation.

“These incidents gravely undermine India’s constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion,” said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI).

Archbishop Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao of Goa and Daman said Hindutva mobs operated with “tacit approval of authorities,” calling for decisive action to protect minorities.

“When Hindutva mobs roam freely, it is the very spirit of secularism and democracy that is at risk,” said Auxiliary Bishop Antony Valumkal at a protest in Kochi.

Political Silence And Contradictions:

While Prime Minister Modi attended a Christmas service and posted a festive greeting, critics argue that symbolism cannot substitute for governance.

“A Christmas church visit does not cancel a year of dog whistles; the hounds knew what they had to do,” said activist Dr. John Dayal.

Opposition leaders, including Shashi Tharoor, condemned the attacks, calling the violence by Hindutva mobs “an assault on every Indian.”

A Pattern Of Intimidation:

The United Christian Forum (UCF) reports 834 incidents of anti-Christian violence in 2024, with nearly 700 incidents recorded in 2025 up to November. Analysts describe these attacks as systematic intimidation by Hindutva mobs, often leveraging anti-conversion laws to harass families, disrupt worship, and bar Christian communities from burial grounds.

“These were not theological disagreements but deliberate intimidation,” said Rev. Vijayesh Lal, Evangelical Fellowship of India.

Media And International Observers:

International and Indian media highlighted the contrast between government optics and grassroots reality. Open Doors reports over 2,900 persecution incidents in India from January to November 2025, noting a dramatic rise in Hindutva mob-led violence.

Journalists emphasise that the attacks reveal cracks in India’s constitutional promise of secularism, showing a reality where religious minorities must navigate fear, displacement, and threats during festivals.

Timeline Of Major Hindutva Mob Attacks And Disruptions:

Impact Summary:

• Schools: Over a dozen schools across Kerala, Gujarat, Odisha, and Assam cancelled Christmas celebrations, returned collected funds, and restricted student participation in festive activities.
• Carolers & Worshippers: Teenagers and adults faced harassment and physical attacks. Instruments were destroyed, carolling banned, and public gatherings disrupted.
• Christian Families: Homes and churches burned in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh; families displaced; burial rights violated; forced affidavits renouncing Christianity reported.
• Psychological Impact: Fear and anxiety permeated communities; Christmas festivities were curtailed, leaving many to self-censor or abandon celebrations.

Police & Government Patterns:

• Passive or Complicit Enforcement: In multiple states, police were present during attacks but failed to intervene, and victims’ complaints often went unrecorded.
• Selective Targeting: In several cases, Christian pastors were arrested on conversion charges, while attackers from Hindutva mobs faced no action.
• State-Level Variation: States such as Kerala saw swift arrests; Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh demonstrated systemic inaction or tacit approval, highlighting uneven law enforcement.

Conclusion: Secularism Under Siege, The Unseen Cost Of Hindutva Violence.

The events of Christmas 2025 reveal more than sporadic acts of religious intolerance; they expose a systemic campaign of intimidation against India’s Christian minority, orchestrated and emboldened by Hindutva mobs operating with the tacit tolerance, and at times complicity, of state authorities. Across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, attacks followed a pattern of harassment, displacement, and institutional neglect: churches were stormed, carolers assaulted, decorations destroyed, homes torched, and even burial rites for the deceased denied or manipulated. Police were often present but did not intervene, while victims were criminalised under anti-conversion laws and attackers faced minimal accountability.

The symbolic gestures of national leaders, including Prime Minister Modi’s Christmas visit to New Delhi, stand in stark contrast to the reality on the ground. As activists, church leaders, and journalists note, ritualised goodwill cannot substitute for governance, especially when communities live under constant fear and surveillance during the very festivals meant to bring joy.

“When Hindutva mobs roam freely, it is the very spirit of secularism and democracy that is at risk,” said Auxiliary Bishop Antony Valumkal.

Despite attacks, church leaders and communities say their faith remains unshaken. Yet the message is clear: without decisive government action and police accountability, Hindutva mobs will continue to exploit festivals and public spaces to intimidate religious minorities. The 2025 Christmas season has become a stark reminder that constitutional secularism in India is under siege, and festive joy cannot flourish amid fear.

The impact is multigenerational and structural. Children’s education is disrupted, communities are displaced, families live in fear, and traditional cultural practices, including Christian burials, are violated. These attacks are not just crimes against individuals; they are an attack on the social fabric and religious freedoms, therefore eroding trust between communities and undermining constitutional protections.

International observers, including Open Doors and the United Christian Forum, have documented thousands of incidents, highlighting that India, once ranked 31st in religious persecution globally in 2013, now sits 11th on the World Watch List, a stark indication of deteriorating minority protections under the current political climate.

The message of Christmas, of peace, compassion, and hope, has been co-opted by fear. As church leaders and activists emphasise, the resilience of faith communities cannot substitute for the responsibility of governance. Without urgent reform, the normalisation of Hindutva mob violence threatens not only Christians but the principle of pluralism itself, jeopardising India’s foundational promise of a society where all citizens can live and worship without fear.

“The assaults on Christmas 2025 were not just attacks on Christians; they were an assault on the soul of India itself,” said Rev. Vijayesh Lal, Evangelical Fellowship of India.