Christmas Under Siege: Systematic Violence Against Christians Sweeps Across India in 2025

What should have been India’s most joyous Christian celebration turned into a season of fear, intimidation, and violence as Hindu nationalist groups launched coordinated attacks on Christmas celebrations across multiple states in December 2025, particularly targeting communities in BJP-governed regions.

From carol-singing children having their instruments smashed in Kerala to visually impaired worshippers being assaulted inside churches in Madhya Pradesh, from Christmas decorations vandalized at shopping malls in Chhattisgarh to street vendors threatened for selling Santa hats in Odisha—the pattern of attacks reveals what religious leaders and human rights advocates describe as systematic persecution enabled by political silence and police inaction.

The Scale: Over 700 Incidents in 2025 Alone

According to The Wire and multiple sources, the United Christian Forum (UCF) documented 706 incidents of violence against Christians from January through November 2025. The News Minute reported that between January 1, 2020, and July 15, 2025, a total of 283 cases were registered across Madhya Pradesh under its anti-conversion law, with nearly 70% still pending in courts.

According to data compiled by the United Christian Forum show over 600 attacks against Christians across India in 2025 alone, including public beatings, vandalism of churches, disruption of services, and threats issued to worshippers. Open Doors UK reported that from January to November 2025, more than 2,900 incidents of persecution have been reported throughout India.

The Assault on a Visually Impaired Woman: Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

Perhaps the most shocking incident—one that galvanized national outrage—occurred on December 20 and 22, 2025, in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, where Anju Bhargava, the BJP city vice president, physically assaulted a visually impaired woman inside a church during a Christmas prayer meeting.

According to The Wire, and multiple sources, a viral video from Jabalpur shows Bhargava publicly abusing and physically harassing the visually impaired woman attending a Christmas program. The incident occurred when Bhargava and members of Hindutva organizations entered the church, alleging that visually impaired children were being coerced into religious conversion.

According to The Wire, an unidentified police officer was quoted by The Indian Express as saying there was “no evidence of forced conversion.” According to the report, students present denied that any conversions had taken place, and police officials stated the gathering involved visually impaired students who had been invited for a meal as part of Christmas-related charitable outreach.

Senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai tweeted on December 23, 2025: “Have been receiving a few videos of Christians being threatened ahead of Xmas. This verified video has shocked and angered me. A BJP district vice president Anju Bhargav assaulted and abused a visually impaired girl in MP’s Jabalpur, claiming she was enabling ‘religious…'”

According to Deshabhimani and Matters India, no action has reportedly been taken even days after the assault, despite video evidence circulating widely on social media.

Children Attacked While Carol Singing: Kerala

In Kerala, a group of children mostly under age 15 participating in a Christmas carol procession were attacked on December 21, 2025. According to The News Minute, RSS worker Ashwin Raj, allegedly intoxicated, destroyed the band instruments the children were playing.

According to The News Minute, police arrested the 24-year-old Raj, who was identified as affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP. However, BJP state leader C Krishnakumar came forward justifying the incident and saying the children were a drunk “criminal gang.” BJP state vice president Shone George also parroted a similar line, saying: “If the carollers are indece[nt]…”

According to TRT World, Education Minister V. Sivankutty denounced that several school Christmas celebrations were canceled allegedly due to pressures from far-right Hindu groups linked to the RSS. According to The Times of India, some schools had even collected contributions before canceling the events, which provoked protests from parents and formal complaints to the authorities.

Sivankutty, according to TRT World, accused the RSS and its affiliated organizations of trying to expel the religious practices of Christians and Muslims from Kerala’s cultural life and of seeking to replicate a model of minority marginalization observed in other regions of the country.

Christmas Decorations Destroyed: Chhattisgarh Mall Attack

On December 24, 2025—Christmas Eve—a mob of approximately 80-90 people armed with wooden sticks stormed the Magneto Mall in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, destroying Christmas decorations and terrorizing shoppers and employees.

According to The Indian Express, an employee of the mall stated: “For the last 16 years, since we began operations here…I have never seen such behavior. The mob threatened us…shouted at us. They indulged in violence.”

According to The Indian Express, another employee, who spoke anonymously, said: “Some women were crying … they (the mob) were charging at all those who were trying to stop them. They kept saying we do not want to see Santa. People who had come to watch movies got scared.”

The attack occurred on the same day that Sarva Hindu Samaj, a Hindu organization, had called for a statewide bandh (strike) protesting alleged religious conversions. According to The Hindu, the protest was also called following clashes over the “burial of a person from a converted family” in the Kanker district.

Churches Burned and Christians Attacked: Kanker, Chhattisgarh

The most violent episode occurred in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh, where on December 15-17, 2025, violence erupted over a Christian man’s burial, resulting in churches being torched and Christian homes destroyed.

According to Open Doors UK, Catholic Connect, and multiple sources, Hindu extremists burnt two churches and destroyed Christian homes in Kanker village following a dispute over the burial of a Hindu man whose son had converted to Christianity. Local officials stepped in and ordered exhumation of the body.

According to The New Indian Express, two churches were torched, a grave dug up, and clashes left several injured in Amabeda village. According to Scroll.in, at least 20 police personnel were injured and a prayer hall vandalized during the clashes.

Christian Solidarity International documented that three churches were torched and scores of tribal Christians attacked after a mob exhumed a body buried with Christian rites in Bade Tevda.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi remarked: “What we are witnessing in BJP-ruled states is organized intimidation. The government’s refusal to act decisively emboldens those who attack minorities.”

What makes these attacks particularly alarming is the larger political and ideological backdrop. “Calls for India to be declared a ‘Hindu nation’ are no longer whispered on the fringes; they are made openly, repeatedly and unapologetically by influential figures associated with the ruling establishment.”

“This Is Hindu Rashtra”: Vendors Threatened for Selling Christmas Items

Street vendors selling Christmas items faced systematic harassment across multiple states, with attackers explicitly invoking the concept of “Hindu Rashtra” (Hindu nation).

According to The Quint, in Odisha’s Puri district, a video went viral showing right-wing group members harassing and threatening street vendors selling Santa hats and Christmas accessories. The attackers told vendors that India is a “Hindu Rashtra” and they had no right to sell Christian items.

The Quint quoted one person in the video: “A poor man was selling Santa caps for Christmas. A fringe goon came, started threatening and abusing him while saying that this is Hindu Rashtra. We will not let anyone celebrate Christian festivals.”

According to The Quint, Puri SP Pratik Singh stated that police have taken cognizance of the viral video and are investigating, noting that maintaining law and order is the police’s responsibility and no one can be allowed to forcibly shut down someone’s business through threats.

According to TRT World, in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar area, Bajrang Dal members verbally confronted women and children wearing Santa Claus hats and urged them to celebrate only at home, according to social media video footage and police statements reported in Indian media.

In Assam’s Nalbari district, members of VHP and Bajrang Dal entered St. Mary’s School in Panigaon village on December 24, vandalizing and burning Christmas banners, posters, and decorations while chanting slogans hailing Hindu gods. They also damaged or burned Christmas items at nearby shops, protesting what they said were celebrations of “non-Indian origin” festivals.

According to The Hind, Bajrang Dal Nalbari District Secretary Bhaskar Deka stated: “We don’t want Christian festivals here. Trade in any festival-related items of Indian origin. But we do not accept doing business with a festival of non-Indian origin.”

Pastors and Worshippers Harassed in Public

In Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, Pastor Raju Sadasivam and his wife were harassed in public by a man identified as Satyanisht Arya, according to The Christian Post and Catholic Connect. Arya questioned their faith, made derogatory remarks about Christianity, and filmed the couple in an aggressive and provocative manner.

According to Muslim Mirror, a man going by the name Sri Satyanisth Arya was seen yelling at a public event: “No Christians shall follow the Bible. Am I clear?” followed by calls of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Jesus Christ is not ours, ours is Ram Bhagwan.”

In Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, according to Deshabhimani, Hindutva organizations created provocation by reciting the Hanuman Chalisa in front of a Christian church ahead of Christmas celebrations in the Bareilly Cantonment area.

Church Raids and Disrupted Services

Across multiple states, Hindu nationalist groups physically entered churches during services, disrupting worship and accusing congregations of forced conversions.

According to Catholic Connect, on December 14, 2025, members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bajrang Dal entered St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Bichhiwara village of Rajasthan’s Dungarpur district, disrupting a Sunday Mass, accusing the parish of forced religious conversions, and confronting clergy and worshippers during an ongoing worship service.

In Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district, according to The Christian Post, local police denied permission for carol singing in four Catholic parishes. The diocese challenged the decision in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which ruled in favor of the churches’ right to hold the programs.

Schools Cancel Christmas Celebrations Under Pressure

Multiple schools across India canceled Christmas celebrations following pressure from Hindu nationalist groups.

According to Open Doors UK, district administration in Chhattisgarh has passed orders to ban house churches and requires all churches to obtain permission for prayer and celebrations, creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.

According to The News Minute, in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, one school returned money collected for Christmas events after receiving instructions from a Hindu nationalist group.

According to Catholic Connect, an official Christmas program for postal employees in Kerala was abruptly cancelled after a reported demand to include an RSS-associated anthem during the celebrations, leading to objections from staff and the withdrawal of the event.

In Haridwar, Uttarakhand, according to The Christian Post, a government-run hotel cancelled its scheduled Christmas celebration following objections from local Hindu groups.

Uttar Pradesh Cancels Christmas Holiday

In an unprecedented move, according to Catholic Connect and The Christian Post, the Uttar Pradesh government announced that schools across the state would remain open on December 25, 2025, departing from the usual practice of observing Christmas as a holiday.

According to SabrangIndia, widespread protests erupted over the UP government’s decision to deny Christmas holidays to students. Authorities reportedly made attendance compulsory, stating that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday must be celebrated that day.

The Ideological Campaign: VHP’s Call to Boycott Christmas

The violence occurred against the backdrop of explicit ideological campaigns urging Hindus to reject Christmas.

According to TRT World, Open Doors UK, and multiple sources, on December 17, 2025, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a key Hindu nationalist organzation, issued public appeals urging Hindus to refrain from celebrating Christmas, describing participation in the festival as a threat to “cultural awareness.”

According to Open Doors UK, the VHP group urged institutions, shops and malls to avoid displaying festive decorations or mentioning “Merry Christmas,” saying they were safeguarding India’s religion and culture.

According to The Christian Post, groups affiliated with the Hindu nationalist Vishwa Hindu Parishad urged Hindus to avoid participating in Christmas celebrations, warning that such involvement would promote “social acceptance of other faiths.”

According to Catholic Connect, in a letter dated December 13, 2025, Surendra Gupta, VHP’s “Indrapastha Province Minister,” wrote asserting that “organized efforts of religious conversion” have been going on in various parts of the country for a long time and participation in festivals of other faiths may lead to social acceptance of other faiths.

Catholic Bishops Condemn “Alarming Rise” in Attacks

On December 23, 2025, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) issued a strongly worded statement condemning the violence.

According to The Wire, the CBCI stated: “These targeted incidents, especially against peaceful carol singers and congregations gathered in churches to pray, gravely undermine India’s constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and the right to live and worship without fear.”

The CBCI said it was “particularly shocked” by the Jabalpur incident involving the assault on the visually impaired woman. “In light of such egregious and dehumanizing conduct, the CBCI demands the immediate dismissal of Anju Bhargava from the Bharatiya Janata Party,” the statement declared.

The CBCI also condemned, “the circulation of hate-filled digital posters in Chhattisgarh, reportedly calling for a bandh on December 24 against Christians, which can inflame tensions and incite further violence.”

According to TRT World, the CBCI urged state governments and the Union Government to take urgent, visible action against individuals and organizations spreading hatred and violence. It requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to “ensure strict enforcement of law and proactive protection for Christian communities so that the joyful festival of Christmas may be celebrated peacefully.”

Anti-Conversion Laws: Legal Cover for Harassment

Human rights advocates point to so-called anti-conversion laws as providing legal cover for attacks on Christians.

According to The News Minute, between January 1, 2020, and July 15, 2025, a total of 283 cases were registered across Madhya Pradesh under The Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act. Of these 197 cases, nearly 70% are still pending in various courts. In the remaining 86 cases where trials have concluded, the numbers show: 50 acquittals, just 7 convictions, and one case that ended in a mutual compromise.

According to The News Minute and The Christian Post, senior advocate and Human Rights Law Network founder Colin Gonsalves stated: “The anti-conversion laws give the police and right-wing groups like the Bajrang Dal a cover for attacking Christians.” Gonsalves referenced a petition filed in the Supreme Court against attacks on pastors in 2022, noting: “The FIRs on forced conversion are invariably filed by right wing groups who later go into the church and beat up the pastor. To avoid arrest or violence, the pastor then has no option but to agree to not proceed with the Sunday praye[r].”

Police Inaction and Complicity

Multiple sources documented police failure to protect Christians or arrest perpetrators.

According to Catholic Connect, what is frightening is the indifference of law-enforcing agencies. “When right-wing mobs take law into their hands and hound Christians, police personnel turn a blind eye to them. Instead of arresting the culprits and putting them behind bars, they are asking Christians to refrain from assembling for prayer services.”

The publication noted: “The same law enforcement agencies spring into action when trumped up charges are levelled against minorities. Allegations of ‘forced conversions’ are thrown around without evidence, weaponized to legitimize harassment and violence. Law enforcement often appears reluctant, if not complicit, choosing to lecture victims instead of protecting them. This selective application of law corrodes public trust and emboldens extremist elements who act with a sense of impunity.”

The 2024 Pattern Continues

This Christmas violence continues a pattern from 2024. According to The Quint, last year also saw numerous hate crime incidents before and during Christmas.

According to The Wire, the UCF documented 834 incidents of violence against Christians in 2024—averaging 69.5 incidents per month. Allegations of fraudulent religious conversions were cited as the top reason for these attacks, with Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh reporting the highest number of incidents.

According to Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), incidents from Christmas 2024 included attacks across at least 10 states. On December 25, 2024, in Mahuva, Gujarat, members of VHP and Bajrang Dal disrupted Christmas prayers by halting the service, chanting “Jai Shri Ram” and reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, alleging lack of required permission, as per a Times of India report cited by CJP.

On December 26, 2024, in Odisha, two tribal women in their forties were beaten up, and the mob smeared cake (which the women alleged to have bought for celebrating Christmas) on one woman’s face while raising slogans such as “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Jai Shri Ram,” according to CJP. The National Commission for Women took suo motu cognizance of the incident.

International Monitoring and Documentation

International Christian advocacy organizations have been tracking the persecution systematically.

According to Open Doors UK, their local partner Priya Sharma stated: “From January to November 2025, more than 2,900 incidents of persecution have been reported throughout India. In states like Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, religious extremists have become increasingly violent, targeting Christians. Churches have been closed, believers attacked, pastors imprisoned on false charges of coercive conversion and Christian families displaced from their homes, simply because of their faith in Christ.”

Open Doors reported that “more than 60 incidents involving disruptions of Christmas gatherings or church services were reported across India” in December 2024 alone.

According to The Telegraph (cited by The Christian Post), Hindu vigilante groups disrupted at least 60 Christmas events across India in 2025, ranging from church raids during services to street-level harassment of vendors selling holiday items.

Constitutional Crisis: Erosion of Secular Protections

Religious leaders and legal experts describe the situation as a fundamental crisis of constitutional protections.

According to Catholic Connect, what makes these attacks particularly alarming is the larger political and ideological backdrop. “Calls for India to be declared a ‘Hindu nation’ are no longer whispered on the fringes; they are made openly, repeatedly and unapologetically by influential figures associated with the ruling establishment. In this climate, constitutional secularism—one of the foundational pillars of the Republic—is being steadily hollowed out, reduced to a technicality rather than a lived reality.”

The publication emphasized: “The Indian Constitution does not grant conditional citizenship. It does not ask minorities to prove loyalty, gratitude or silence in exchange for safety. It guarantees freedom of religion, equality before law and the right to live without [fear].”

According to Matters India, Archbishop Andrews Thazhath stated: “The government must act not with token detentions, but with real accountability. Anything less is complicity.”

Catholic Connect concluded: “If the post-Trump G.O.P. makes the same mistake with our own identitarian fringe, we will meet a similar fate. Christmas should proclaim peace on earth. Instead, in BJP-ruled states, it proclaimed the fragility of minority rights under majoritarian rule. If India is to remain a secular republic, silence is no longer an option.”

Geographic Spread: Attacks Across Multiple States

The violence was not confined to one or two regions but spread systematically across BJP-governed states:

Madhya Pradesh: Jabalpur church attacks, Jhabua carol-singing ban Chhattisgarh: Kanker church burnings, Raipur mall vandalism, district orders banning house churches Uttar Pradesh: School holiday cancellation, pastor harassment in Ghaziabad, Hanuman Chalisa recitations outside churches in Bareilly Odisha: Vendor harassment in Puri Kerala: Children attacked while caroling in Palakkad, school celebrations canceled Rajasthan: Church raid in Dungarpur Assam: School vandalism in Nalbari Haryana: Heightened security at churches in Hisar Uttarakhand: Hotel cancellation in Haridwar

According to CJP’s comprehensive documentation, attacks occurred in Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Burhanpur (Madhya Pradesh), Etah (Uttar Pradesh), Fatehpur (Uttar Pradesh), Hyderabad (Telangana), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Jaisalmer (Rajasthan), Jaunpur (Rajasthan), Khasi Hills (Meghalaya), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Manipur, Mumbai (Maharashtra), Rohtak (Haryana), Siddharthnagar (Uttar Pradesh), Sitapur (Uttar Pradesh), Surat (Gujarat), Tapi (Gujarat), Thrissur (Kerala), and Unnao (Uttar Pradesh).

Christians Living in Fear

The cumulative effect of these attacks has created an atmosphere of pervasive fear among Indian Christians.

According to Open Doors UK, “Christmas is a time when these threats often come to a head.” Their partner Priya Sharma noted: “Many believers were victims of threatening, discrimination and violence in December 2024, especially during Christmas, at the hands of Hindutva and other religious extremists.”

According to TRT World, while churches filled with worshippers and festive greetings poured in, “Christmas in India is unfolding amid more fear and tension rather than celebration with countless reports of attacks, intimidation and disruptions on Christian gatherings and decorations.”

A Systematic Pattern of Religious Persecution

The Christmas 2025 violence in India represents not isolated incidents of communal tension but a systematic pattern of persecution enabled by political rhetoric, facilitated by anti-conversion laws, carried out by organized Hindu nationalist groups, and met with police inaction or complicity.

With over 700 documented attacks on Christians in 2025, the destruction of churches, the assault on children singing carols, the harassment of vendors selling holiday items, and the public humiliation of worshippers inside their places of worship, India’s Christian minority—comprising approximately 2.3% of the population—faces an unprecedented crisis of religious freedom.

As Archbishop Thazhath warned, according to Matters India: “If India is to remain a secular republic, silence is no longer an option.”

The question facing India as it enters 2026 is whether its constitutional promise of religious freedom will be upheld, or whether minority communities will continue to celebrate their holiest festivals under the shadow of fear, violence, and state-sanctioned intimidation.

This story was aggregated by AI from several news reports and edited by American Kahani’s News Desk.