Like every year, Christmas 2025 in India had its share of reports on rising hate crimes against Christians-a disturbing trend of growing hostility toward the community. This year’s festivities were no different, from mob attacks on Christmas decorations to harassment of vendors, the coordinated efforts of right-wing Hindu groups raised tension across many states. In all these cases, the government’s silence and lack of accountability have acted to fuel religious intolerance and persecution.
A Disturbing Trend of Vandalism and Violence Against Christmas Celebrations
This Christmas, incidents reported all across the country where right-wing mobs targeted Christian celebrations, including destruction and physical assaults. In Raipur, Chhattisgarh, a mob from Bajrang Dal vandalized Christmas decorations at a mall, destroying Santa-themed displays and gifts. Similarly, in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, Bajrang Dal members disrupted prayers at a local church, shouting slogans and mocking Christian symbols, making pattern of increasing hostility against religious minorities during their festive season.
Authorities moved to register criminal charges against the perpetrators:
“Police registered an FIR against 25-30 activists for rioting, causing hurt, and mischief. Raipur SSP Lal Umed Singh assured action and confirmed identification of some culprits.”
In Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, a deeply disturbing incident was captured on video, where a visually impaired Christian woman attending a Christmas service was publicly abused and harassed by BJP City Vice President Anju Bhargava. Bhargava was seen making offensive remarks and engaging in physical scuffles with the woman. This public display of hatred targeted a vulnerable member of the Christian community and highlighted the dangerous rise of political figures engaging in hate speech against minorities. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) condemned this act, calling it a severe violation of constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion.
In St Xavier’s School in Nagaur, Rajasthan, a group of 10–15 Bajrang Dal activists vandalized the premises, pushed the staff and children, and shouted anti-Christian slogans, leading to the disruption of Christmas celebrations. A similar attack in Assam took place at St Mary’s School, where the burning of decorations and recitation of religious chants foiled the proceedings. Taken together, these attacks reveal that there has been a coordinated effort to challenge the peaceful celebration of Christmas and intimidate Christians all over the country.
As political voices weighed in on the broader implications of attacks around Christmas, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor observed:
“When our traditions are attacked, it is not only Christians who are attacked, it is all of us. Every Indian is assaulted. Our constitutional guarantee of freedom of worship, freedom of belief is being attacked…”
(source: NDTV)
Continuing Legacy of Anti-Christian Violence: A History of Attacks
This rise in hate crimes against Christians is not an incident in isolation. India has a long, disturbing history of attacks against Christians, especially during the Christmas season. From the 1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri incident in Odisha, which saw more than 90 Christian houses being reduced to ashes, to the horrific murders of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in 1999, these attacks have left an indelible scar on India’s religious landscape. In 2007 and 2008, over 39 Christians were killed in the Kandhamal riots, along with more than 300 churches being razed, and thousands being displaced. These incidents, carried out under the garb of religious retaliation, are also characterized by similar patterns of violence and impunity that have continued to haunt the country up to this day.
This rising tide of violence against Christians in India is unfolding against a backdrop of broader regional tensions. As one recent analysis on South Asian political dynamics notes, shifting rhetoric between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh is contributing to an atmosphere of polarization in the subcontinent. (https://indiadecode.in/rising-india-pakistan-bangladesh-rhetoric)
A Rise in Hate Crimes: Over 700 Attacks Documented in 2025
In 2025, more than 700 such attacks on Christians were already recorded and surpass the number of incidents in 2024, which reported 834 attacks against Christians. Most of these crimes, including church burnings, assaults, and forced displacement, have gone unpunished, with most cases never having reached court or even getting an official police FIR. According to the United Christian Forum, more than two incidents of attacks against Christians in India take place every day, yet justice continues to elude.
Worst of all, there is a complete lack of accountability over these attacks. Mobs chanting extremist slogans and committing acts of violence against Christians have received no more than a tepid response from the government of India. The impunity afforded to these mobs is furthered by targeted and systemic silence at the level of the highest-ranking political leaders and law enforcement officials, enabling religious intolerance to fester. According to reports from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and Human Rights Watch, India is an emerging hotspot for religious persecution, with conditions for Christians continuing to worsen.
While India calls out human rights abuses in other countries, the country continues to silence those who suffer within its own borders. The treatment of Christians, who make up just 2.3% of India’s population, reveals the extent of minority marginalization. After recording over 700 attacks on Christians this year alone, a government that refuses to act or even acknowledge a problem raises very serious questions about its commitment to religious freedom.
India’s inability to protect her religious minorities, especially Christians, is a sad reflection of the sharper divide that is tearing the country asunder. Hate crimes are rising, and the government is turning a blind eye to them, so the question lingers: Will there ever be accountability for this rising tide of religious violence, or will the silence continue to enable hate to flourish?
