In Assam final 12 months, a Bajrang Dal chief stated Hindus celebrating Christmas could be “crushed”
Guwahati:
Christmas celebrations have been disrupted in Assam’s Silchar on Saturday after goons claiming to be members of the Bajrang Dal – a right-wing group with ties to the ruling BJP – compelled their manner right into a church and demanded it’s shut down as a result of Hindus couldn’t participate within the festivities.
The fitting-wing goons claimed that they had no concern with Christians celebrating Christmas however declared they’d not permit Hindus to take action, as a result of December 25 was additionally ‘Tulsi Diwas’.
A senior Assam Police officer instructed NDTV no criticism had been filed thus far and, subsequently, no case had been registered. Police have labelled this a “small commotion” not needing a suo moto case.
“We’re not towards Christmas… let solely Christian have fun Christmas. We’re towards Hindu girls and boys taking part in Christmas operate. Right this moment it was Tulsa Diwas of Hindus, however nobody celebrated. It hurts our sentiments… everyone seems to be saying Merry Christmas. How will our faith survive?” one of many attackers (who was sporting a saffron cap) stated in a video circulated on-line.
Visuals of the incident confirmed a whole lot of individuals milling about (some with out face masks and with little signal of social distancing) a big Christmas tree with twinkling lights.
Visuals additionally confirmed a gaggle of individuals – presumably these stopped from celebrating Christmas – standing exterior the gates of the church with a handful of policemen standing about.
The attackers stated solely Christians may have fun Christmas
This is not the primary time Christmas has been focused in Silchar. Final 12 months, a Bajrang Dal chief – to raucous cries of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ – said Hindus celebrating Christmas would be “beaten”.
It additionally comes on the heels of an attack yesterday on Christians in Haryana’s Gurgaon district.
There have additionally been a number of incidents of the burning of Christian religious books and churches in Karnataka, the place the BJP authorities has pushed by way of a massively controversial anti-conversion invoice.
There have been almost 40 such assaults within the southern state over the previous 11 months.
On Thursday a 160-year-old church in Belgavi district was vandalised. Police have filed a FIR (first data report) however no motion has been taken since.
Two weeks in the past, in Kolar district, right-wing groups burned Christian religious books. No arrest has been made; in truth, police stated Christians had been warned towards distributing non secular booklets.
The assaults on the Christian communities in Karnataka, and on Christmas celebrations in Haryana and Assam, come as Muslims in Haryana’s Gurgaon face repeated disruptions over namaz.
Final week – on the metropolis’s Udyog Vihar neighbourhood – visuals emerged of an offended mob appeared to harass Muslims gathered to hope, demanding they chant ‘Bharat mata ki jai’.
Within the movies the Muslims gathered appear to ask: “We’re making an attempt to hope… why are you doing this?”
