A Christmas event at a Bareilly Catholic school sparked protests by Hindu nationalist groups accusing it of insulting Hinduism.
Newsroom (30/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) In the northern Indian city of Bareilly, a Christmas celebration turned into a flashpoint of communal tension on December 24 when members of the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) gathered outside St. Alphonsus Cathedral to protest a Catholic school’s Christmas programme. The groups accused Bishop Conrad Senior Secondary School of “offending the Hindu religion” during student performances meant to celebrate universal social values.
The protest unfolded as worshippers attended Christmas Eve Mass inside the church. A viral video showed Bajrang Dal activists reciting the Hanuman Chalisa at the cathedral’s gate as police officers stood by. Demonstrators later chanted religious slogans—“Jai Shri Ram” and “Har Har Mahadev”—and demanded an official investigation and a First Information Report against the church and school management.
Ashu Agarwal, a local VHP leader, claimed the performances “projected problems within Hinduism,” allegedly sending “an indirect message” encouraging conversion to Christianity. The school’s “Christmas Mahotsav,” a two-day event held December 21–22, featured plays, carols, and cultural dances alongside a science exhibition, continuing a tradition of combining education, culture, and faith.
Bishop Ignatius D’Souza, who sits on the school’s management committee, dismissed the allegations as “a serious distortion.” He explained that the plays were livestreamed but later removed from YouTube due to copyright issues linked to clips from The Chosen, a series about the life of Jesus. None of the performances, he said, contained offensive or proselytizing content.
“The themes this year honoured Indian social values—national integration, women’s empowerment, dignity for the elderly, and environmental protection,” D’Souza stated. “The message was one of peace, love, harmony, and brotherhood, beyond religious boundaries.”
Police dispersed the protest after about 30 minutes, collecting a memorandum from the Bajrang Dal requesting an “impartial” inquiry. No arrests were made. But for Bishop D’Souza, the incident represents more than a local misunderstanding—it reflects what he calls a “growing climate of religious intolerance.”
“This is not an isolated case,” he warned. “Across India this year, nearly 60 Christmas celebrations were disrupted.” D’Souza condemned what he described as extremist groups “taking the law into their own hands” and risking India’s constitutional values of religious freedom.
Equally troubling, he argued, is the “silence” of the political establishment. “The Prime Minister and the Home Minister must speak up,” he said, urging them to reaffirm the right to peaceful coexistence.
“Why should anyone feel threatened by the Christian minority?” the bishop asked. “Ours is a community that has contributed significantly to education, health, and social services in India.”
He ended with a plea for unity: “Silence in the face of intolerance strengthens the forces of division. India’s strength lies in its diversity, and events like Christmas Mahotsav embody that very spirit—unity in diversity.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Asianews.it
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