Assam Christian body condemns bid to justify Christmas Eve vandalism

GUWAHATI The Assam Christian Forum (ACF) on Saturday (December 27, 2025) thanked Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the police, and the Nalbari district authorities for arresting four people involved in Christmas Eve vandalism, but resented the Bharatiya Janata Party’s bid to justify the “unconscionable act”. On Wednesday (December 24, 2025), members affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal allegedly disrupted Christmas Eve celebrations and vandalised decorations at St. Mary’s English School in Nalbari, about 65 km northwest of Guwahati. The ACF said the incident had sown fear and insecurity among minority communities in the State. “The Christian community across Assam welcomes this decisive step toward upholding the rule of law and protecting the fundamental right to religious expression, while urging that the remaining culprits also be arrested at the earliest,” the forum’s spokesperson, Allen Brooks, said in a statement on Saturday. However, the organisation expressed strong objection to remarks made by Assam BJP president and Lok Sabha member Dilip Saikia, who, it said, sought to justify the vandalism by alleging “constant provocation” from the Christian community and making unsubstantiated claims about religious conversions. “Such statements, implying that the desecration of sacred preparations and religious artefacts was a response to perceived grievances, not only undermine the gravity of the crime but also risk inflaming communal tensions at a time when unity is paramount,” the statement said. Referring to constitutional guarantees, the ACF said Articles 25 and 26 ensure freedom of religion to all citizens and rejected any narrative that “portrays minority communities as provocateurs or justifies violence” in the name of cultural protection.“ Conversions, where they occur, are matters of individual conscience and lawful choice, not instruments of social discord. We urge political leaders to refrain from rhetoric that deepens divisions and instead promote dialogue and mutual respect,” the statement added. Published - December 27, 2025 05:07 pm IST

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