Christmas 2025 in India was marked by a disturbing wave of persecution against Christians, with nearly 50 incidents reported across multiple states during the Advent and Christmas season, according to Evangelical Fellowship of India.
A shocking incident occurred on Christmas Eve at Magneto Mall in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, where a mob of 80-90 people armed with wooden sticks and hockey sticks stormed the shopping centre. The attackers vandalized Christmas decorations while interrogating staff members, demanding to know “Are you Hindu or Christian? What is your caste?” Despite the mall being closed in support of a state-wide shutdown, the mob forced entry and destroyed festive displays while shoppers and employees watched in terror.
Groups linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist umbrella organisation, carried out most incidents through its affiliated groups the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Violence erupted across Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Haryana, Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttarakhand states.
In Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Anju Bhargava, a local BJP district vice president, assaulted a visually impaired woman at a Christmas lunch organised for blind children on 20 December. Bhargava grabbed Safalta Kartik’s face and told her she would suffer blindness again in future lives as punishment for attending the Christmas event. The attack, captured on video, sparked national outrage.
Pastor Dharmendra Jena had organised the annual lunch for 26 visually impaired students. A mob of approximately 25 people stormed the gathering, alleging forcible conversions despite police finding no evidence. The children left hungry and frightened.
Chhattisgarh state experienced the most severe attacks. Rajman Salam, a 36-year-old elected village leader, faced brutal retaliation after village elders refused burial space for his deceased father due to Salam’s Christian faith. Hundreds of people, estimated at 300-400, descended on a condolence gathering on 17 December and brutally assaulted Salam along with his relatives. The following day, over 3,000 people torched his house and church building, along with two nearby church buildings.
The persecution escalated dramatically on 29 December with coordinated attacks in two villages. In Mardum village, Bastar District, assailants targeted eight Christian families, stealing massive quantities of food supplies including 10,000 kilograms of rice along with wheat, corn and other household items. A pregnant woman, Ulleswari, who was six months along, collapsed during the assault and continues receiving hospital treatment.
In Dhamtari District, authorities on Christmas night forced a grieving family to sign an affidavit renouncing Christianity before allowing them to dispose of their deceased relative’s body. Only after signing could they cremate the body on 26 December.
Attacks spread to other states. On 14 December in Bichhiwara village, Rajasthan, RSS and Bajrang Dal members disrupted Sunday Mass at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, accusing the parish of forced conversions. In Kerala, an RSS worker attacked children under 15 who were caroling on 21 December, destroying their musical instruments.
In Telangana’s Nalthur village on 21 December, a Hindu nationalist mob brutally attacked Christmas carolers gathered at a Christian home, accusing them of conversion activities. In Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, Pastor Raju Sadasivam and his wife were publicly harassed and filmed by Sri Satyanisht Arya, who made derogatory remarks about Christianity while questioning their faith.
On Christmas Day in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, right-wing activists vandalized a Christmas celebration at The Hub food street, destroying the Christmas tree and decorations while shouting religious slogans. A female organiser’s emotional pleas to spare the decorations went unheeded.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad issued a letter on 13 December urging Hindus to boycott Christmas celebrations. Following this appeal, vendors faced harassment for selling Christmas items, schools were forced to remove decorations, and a hotel cancelled its Christmas event after threats.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India condemned the violence, particularly the targeting of blind children, and demanded Bhargava’s dismissal from the BJP. The BJP reportedly issued a show-cause notice but filed no criminal charges. She retains her party position.
Rev. Vijayesh Lal of the Evangelical Fellowship of India highlighted the disturbing pattern: “Prayer services interrupted, Christmas celebrations questioned, burials contested, and ordinary Christian life placed under suspicion. When such disruption is tolerated, religious freedom does not collapse suddenly; it erodes quietly.”
The United Christian Forum documented 706 incidents of violence against Christians as of November 2025, representing a 500 per cent increase from the 139 incidents recorded in 2014. India now ranks 11th on Open Doors’ World Watch List, a dramatic decline from 31st place in 2013.
