The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India on Tuesday raised concern about the “alarming rise in attacks” on Christians in several states ahead of Christmas and said that the incidents undermine India’s constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and the right to worship without fear.
In a statement, the bishops’ association said that it was “particularly shocked” by an incident in Jabalpur, where a visually impaired woman attending a Christmas programme was assaulted by a Bharatiya Janata Party leader.
The assault took place on Saturday at a church, where the BJP’s Jabalpur Vice President Anju Bhargava accused the woman of carrying out religious conversions. The incident took place in the presence of a police officer.
Bhargava had entered the church with members of several Hindutva organisations, alleging that visually impaired children were being coerced into religious conversion. The gathering had been organised by Christian organisations as part of Christmas celebrations.
The students denied that religious conversions had taken place during the gathering. An unidentified police officer was also quoted as saying by The Indian Express that there was “no evidence of forced conversion”.
On Tuesday, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India called for the dismissal of Bhargava from the BJP.
The association also criticised the circulation of “hate-filled digital posters in Chhattisgarh”, reportedly calling for a bandh against Christians on Wednesday, saying that such messages could “inflame tensions and incite further violence”.
Condemning the incidents, the Catholic body urged state governments and the Centre to take “urgent and visible action” against persons and organisations spreading hate and violence.
It also urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure strict enforcement of the law and protection for Christian communities so that Christmas can be celebrated “in an atmosphere of security and harmony”.
Several incidents of attacks on Christians or disruptions to Christmas celebrations have been reported in the past week.
In Kerala, a worker of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was arrested after a Christmas carol group of children was attacked while visiting homes in Pudussery village in Palakkad district on Monday.
The RSS is the parent organisation of the ruling BJP at the Centre.
Last week, some schools in Kerala run by Hindutva organisations and a privately-managed Hindu institution had allegedly halted Christmas celebrations. The managements of the schools, however, denied the allegations.
In Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, a hotel run by the state tourism department cancelled a Christmas celebration on the banks of the river Ganga after protests called by the Ganga Sabha, which administers the Har-ki-Pauri ghat.
On Monday, Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj shared a video purportedly recorded in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar showing men threatening women and children wearing Santa Claus caps.
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