Ahead of Christmas 2025, right-wing outfits linked to Sangh Parivar targeted churches and Christian gatherings in multiple states, raising alarms over religious freedom—even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended prayers at Delhi's Cathedral Church of Redemption. These build on earlier reported clashes in Jabalpur.
On Christmas morning, the bells of Delhi's Cathedral Church of Redemption rang with messages of love and peace as Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the Christian community in prayer, symbolizing India's religious diversity.
However, in the preceding days, affiliates of Sangh Parivar groups disrupted celebrations under pretexts of 'forced conversions,' amplified by social media and amid lax enforcement in states with anti-conversion laws. Key incidents included:
- In Assam's Nalbari, Bajrang Dal activists invaded a diocesan school and destroyed its nativity crib.
- In Raipur, a mob vandalized Christmas displays in a mall.
- In Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh—as covered in prior reports—right-wing members, including a local BJP vice-president, entered churches alleging conversions, leading to confrontations with churchgoers and police intervention; no evidence of wrongdoing by the churches was found.
- In Delhi, vigilantes harassed women in Santa hats.
Authorities often dismissed these as 'local tensions.' This pattern challenges constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and equality, suggesting political impunity.
PM Modi's X post wishing 'harmony and goodwill' contrasts sharply with the intimidation. For his message of 'renewed hope and kindness' to resonate, authorities must prosecute perpetrators—including those linked to BJP or Sangh Parivar—ensuring legal accountability over leniency.
