By Azad Essa
On Christmas Day, social media was free
ablaze with videos showing Hindu nationalists interrupting, disrupting, or outright attacking Christmas celebrations across India. Churches were raided, decorations in shopping malls were ripped down, and vendors selling Christmas items were harassed and assaulted. Is this new? Not at all. Under Narendra Modi, hostility toward Christians has intensified—so much so that even celebrating Christmas is seen as a provocation.
Across India, there were dozens of recorded incidents against Christians on Christmas Day, particularly in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
Here’s one: At St. Mary’s School in Panigaon, Nalbari, Assam, Bajrang Dal members tore down Christmas decorations and set them alight.
In Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh, right-wing groups assembled outside a church and chanted the Hanuman Chalisa.
This story was originally published in azadessa.substack.com. Read the full story here.