• Source:JND

Multiple incidents of vandalism have been reported across the country during the Christmas celebrations. On Christmas Eve, a group of Bajrang Dal activists targeted St. Mary’s English School in Nalbari, Assam, and destroyed Christmas decorations. The same group also vandalised a shop in the town, where Christmas ornaments were being sold.

According to The Indian Express, Bibekananda Das, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) for Nalbari, confirmed that a formal complaint had been filed by the authorities at St. Mary’s English School Panigaon regarding the incident.

“Along with the school attack, the group also went to a market shop in Nalbari where items such as Santa hats and masks were being sold, and set them on fire. We plan to file an FIR that will cover both incidents. There were approximately nine people involved in the group,” the SSP said.

Father James Vadakeyil from the Diocese of Bongaigaon, which oversees the school, explained that the school was empty at the time since it was closed for winter holidays. The school, which has around 1,000 students, was established in 2010.

“At around 3 pm, a group of people arrived looking for the principal, but when they found he wasn’t there, they went inside and destroyed the nativity scene and all other Christmas decorations. They also ruined a large banner advertising admissions. They took down and set fire to the decorations while chanting slogans,” he said.

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Videos from the scene show the group allegedly chanting slogans such as “Bajrang Dal Zindabad” and “Jai Shri Ram,” as well as “Jai Hindu Rashtra.”

In a similar incident in Kerala, a clash broke out on Christmas Eve in the coastal district of Alappuzha between two carol singing groups, escalating into a physical confrontation. Several people were injured in the altercation, which took place in the Nooranad area around 11:30 pm. The dispute, which began as a minor disagreement, quickly turned violent.

Additionally, in Chhattisgarh's Raipur, a mob stormed a shopping mall on Wednesday and vandalised the Christmas decorations. The incident occurred on the day of the ‘Chhattisgarh Bandh,’ a strike called to protest alleged illegal religious conversions.

Security guards at the mall attempted to intervene, but were overpowered by the crowd.

An FIR has been filed against 49 individuals following a complaint from the mall management team, including representatives Namrata Kumari and Ajay Kumar.

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One mall employee recounted, “A group of around 80 to 90 people entered, supporting the bandh. We’ve always supported bandh calls for the last 16 years since we started operating here, but I’ve never witnessed anything like this. The mob threatened us, shouted at us, and engaged in violence.”


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