Guwahati, Dec 25 : Tension flared in Assam’s Nalbari district on Wednesday after alleged members of Bajrang Dal raided shops selling Christmas items and set fire to decorations ahead of the festive season.
According to reports, the group targeted shops near the Digambar Jain temple in Nalbari town, where Christmas goods kept for sale were dragged out and burnt. In a separate incident, a Christian missionary school was also vandalised, with decorations and posters damaged.
A video circulating on social media shows a group raising slogans, including “Jai Shri Ram,” as Christmas decorations were set ablaze. The incident reportedly took place at St Mary’s School in Panigaon village, where individuals alleged to be linked to the right-wing group entered the campus and destroyed festive displays prepared for Christmas.
The incidents drew sharp condemnation from the Assam Christian Forum (ACF), which termed the acts “deeply disturbing” and demanded immediate police intervention. The forum urged authorities to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and arrest those responsible.
“This act wounds religious sentiments, spreads hatred, and violates the constitutional right to freedom of religion under Article 25. Such actions threaten the peace and harmony of Assam,” the ACF said in a statement.
The forum added that the incident runs contrary to Assam’s cultural ethos of coexistence and harmony, drawing inspiration from the teachings of Srimanta Shankar Dev. “This is not Assam’s culture,” the statement said.
Calling for restraint and solidarity, the ACF urged the government and civil society to uphold secular values and strengthen interfaith bonds during Christmas and beyond.
