DM Monitoring
Christmas celebrations turned sour for the Christian community in India after a violent mob attacked and vandalised decorations in Chhattisgarh’s capital city of Raipur.
A mob armed with wooden sticks vandalised Christmas decorations and installations at a mall on Wednesday, ahead of the festival, according to The Indian Express.
The group — reportedly comprising 30 to 40 masked men — stormed the mall during a Chhattisgarh bandh called to protest alleged religious conversion-related violence in Kanker.
Footage of the incident showed suspects moving through the mall and tearing down decorations that had been put up ahead of the Christian festival.
Police registered a first information report (FIR) based on a complaint from mall management against unidentified individuals following the incident, India Today reported.
In another such incident, the Vishva Hindu Parishad Bajrang Dal vandalised a school during the Christmas preparations in Assam’s Nalbari district.
Members of the far-right party also torched and damaged festival items, while they also staged a protest against Christmas celebrations in Nalbari, according to a report by The Hindu.
Last month, a US report recommended designating India as a country of “special concern” due to religious prejudice and serious violations of religious freedom.
US Commission on International Religious Freedom, in its report, exposed religious discrimination in India and extremist policies of the RSS and the BJP’s Hindutva agenda.
The report revealed that Modi and the BJP had implemented discriminatory policies against minorities in line with the Hindutva ideology.
It added that the BJP, as the political wing of the RSS, promotes Hindu nationalism.
The RSS has been involved for decades in violent acts against minorities, particularly Muslims and Sikhs.
Meanwhile, Christians across the world are celebrating Christmas with religious devotion and traditional celebrations, joining millions of believers worldwide in observing the festival.
In Pakistan, prayer ceremonies were also held by the Christian community during the festival.
Churches in Karachi were decorated as security was tightened around them across the city. At St Patrick’s Church in Saddar, the community marked the festival with enthusiasm.
In Lahore, colourful celebrations began as soon as the clock struck 12 at night, with churches adorned with multicoloured lights for the occasion.
