NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 30 (MExN): The North East Catholic Research Forum (NECRF) has submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking urgent intervention against what it described as a rise in attacks on Christians across the country, particularly in the past two years.
In the memorandum, the forum said it has closely followed the Prime Minister’s outreach to the Christian community and expressed appreciation for his participation in major Christian events, including the Easter programme at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi in 2023, Christmas celebrations with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) in 2024, and the Christmas service held on December 25 this year at the Cathedral Church of Redemption in the national capital.
The forum said these gestures were welcomed by Christians across the country and reinforced confidence that the ideals of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas” were not merely political slogans but reflected a commitment to inclusivity. It also welcomed the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement of the Christian community’s contribution to nation-building and cited his message that “Christmas inspires harmony and goodwill in our society”.
However, the forum expressed “deep anguish” over what it termed persistent and systematic attacks on Christians despite constitutional safeguards. It alleged that the community was increasingly being treated as an enemy, citing data and recent incidents.
According to the memorandum, 834 incidents of attacks on Christians were recorded in 2024, averaging 69 incidents per month. Between January and November 2025, it said 706 incidents were reported, including physical assaults, sexual offences, murder, threats, intimidation, destruction of places of worship, disruption of prayer services and desecration of religious items. The forum alleged that organisations such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal were involved in several of these incidents.
The memorandum further alleged that organisations affiliated to the RSS, which it said shares a common ideology with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, were using front organisations to target Christians, including by restricting religious activities and humanitarian services.
Detailing incidents in the run-up to and during Christmas this year, the forum cited multiple cases from different states.
It alleged that on December 20, a woman identified as Anju Bhargava, said to be vice-president of the BJP’s Jabalpur unit, visited a church to stop Christmas preparations and assaulted a visually impaired woman, accusing her of attempting religious conversion. The victim later told the media that she was a Hindu and had attended the programme voluntarily, the memorandum said.
On December 21, activists of the Hindu Raksha Dal allegedly disrupted a Christmas prayer service in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, vandalised CCTV cameras, desecrated the Holy Bible, made derogatory remarks about Jesus and Mary, and molested a woman, while recording the incident and circulating it on social media. The forum alleged that no action was taken against the perpetrators.
The forum also cited an incident on December 22 in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar, where young girls wearing Santa Claus caps were allegedly heckled and accused of proselytisation, and referred to a government order in Rajasthan the same day banning the wearing of Santa Claus caps. It alleged that the objective was to restrict Christmas celebrations.
On December 24, the Sarva Hindu Samaj allegedly called a 24-hour bandh in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, vandalised Christmas decorations in a mall and warned the public against celebrating Christmas. On the same day, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal allegedly vandalised Christmas decorations, including a nativity crib, at St Mary’s School in Panigaon, Nalbari district of Assam, leading to the cancellation of the midnight service due to fear among the local Christian community.
The memorandum further cited attacks on Christmas carol singers in Palakkad, Kerala, incidents of sloganeering and provocation outside St Alphonsus Cathedral in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, and official circulars issued in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh related to restrictions on Christmas-related activities in schools.
It also alleged that on Christmas Day, 500–600 members of the Bajrang Dal took out a procession through a Christian-dominated area in Thandla, Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh, with prior knowledge of the district administration, with the intention of disturbing Christmas celebrations.
Stating that these were not isolated incidents but “well-planned and systematically executed” acts by identified organisations, the forum said the Christian community was deeply troubled by attempts to prevent it from observing religious obligations, particularly during Christmas.
The forum appealed to the Prime Minister for urgent intervention, stating that a word of disapproval from him could help curb such activities. It also urged him to direct states to refrain from misusing anti-conversion laws to harass poor and vulnerable members of the Christian community.
