New Delhi (EFE).- Groups linked to Hindu nationalism carried out acts of vandalism, attacks on Christian spaces, and public disturbances across India in the days leading up to Christmas, including the burning of Christmas trees and decorations, in a country where the Christian community represents a small minority.
The attacks targeted churches, Christian schools, carol groups and street vendors, as well as large shopping malls, where Christmas trees, nativity scenes and other festive decorations were destroyed, according to police reports and videos widely circulated on social media.
Most of the incidents occurred between Dec. 21 and 25 in various parts of the country, from Chhattisgarh and Assam to Kerala and the capital, areas with a historically significant Christian population and where organizations linked to Hindu nationalism are also active.
Authorities and witnesses attributed several of these incidents to activists and young people from Hindu organizations such as the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which campaign against religious conversions and celebrations considered foreign to Hindu tradition. These organizations are ideologically linked to an influential nationalist movement, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
In at least one case, in the eastern state of Assam, where the perpetrators set fire to Christmas trees and other items, police reported the arrest of four people.
Meanwhile, various Catholic groups called on authorities to increase security during religious celebrations.
Christians constitute less than 2.5 percent – around 28 million people — of India’s population, according to the last official census in 2011, and are concentrated mainly in the southern and northeastern states of the country.
Religious freedom organizations such as the United Christian Forum have warned in recent years of a sustained increase in attacks against Christians, which they link to the rise of Hindutva ideology, promoted by Hindu nationalist groups and associated with the political environment of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Similarly, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom recently warned of persistent attacks and discrimination against religious minorities, particularly Christians and Muslims, and recommended keeping India under international observation. EFE
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