GUWAHATI: People in Assam marked Christmas with what was described as an "anguished celebration," a day after members of right wing extremist groups Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal vandalised and set fire to Christmas decorations at a diocesan school in Nalbari district.
According to an official statement, Nalbari police on Thursday arrested four persons, based on a written complaint lodged by Fr Baiju Sebastian, principal of St Mary’s English School, Panigaon, in Nalbari district.
A case has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 189(2) (unlawful assembly), 324(3) (mischief), 324(4) (mischief causing significant property damage), 326(f) (mischief by causing damage through fire, etc), 329(3) (criminal trespass), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy).
According to the complaint lodged by the principal, some unknown miscreants unlawfully entered the school premises and vandalised the campus, causing damage to outer decorations, serial lights, plant pots and other articles. The complaint further stated that the damaged items were later set on fire.
Videos circulating on social media showed the attackers chanting "Jai Shree Ram" slogans and warning the school against holding Christmas celebrations on its premises. Subsequently, shops selling Christmas items in Nalbari town were targeted, with a few items set on fire.
Allen Brooks, spokesperson of the Assam Christian Forum, told this newspaper that people observed an "anguished" celebration on Thursday as insecurity among the community was overwhelming.
Condemning the incidents, the forum said, “Videos circulating on social media clearly identify the perpetrators… This act wounds religious sentiments, spreads hatred, and violates constitutional rights to freedom of religion, threatening Assam’s peace and harmony.”
It added, “This is not Assam’s culture, and not true to Assam’s ethos of unity inspired by Srimanta Shankar Dev. We urge the government and the society to uphold secularism.”
In the rest of the Northeast, Christmas was celebrated with pomp and gaiety. Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram are Christian-majority states, while Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur have sizeable Christian populations.