AS CHURCHES across India prepared for Christmas, many Christian families had to alter plans: evening prayers were shortened, carol groups stayed indoors, and parents suggested to children that they remove crosses before stepping out.
“We wanted a quiet Christmas,” Maria D’Souza, a schoolteacher from Jabalpur, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, said. “Quiet felt safer.”
Advocacy groups recorded more than 700 incidents of violence against Christians last year, with nearly 50 cases recorded during Advent and Christmas week. The incidents stretched from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Assam to Kerala and Delhi. They included disruptions of prayer meetings, attacks on carol singers, damage to decorations, and assaults on worshippers.
In Jabalpur, a Christmas programme for blind children ended abruptly after a local political worker accused organisers of forced conversion. Witnesses said that a visually impaired woman was struck during the altercation.
“No one was converting anyone,” a volunteer at the event, Rakesh Masih, said. “We were distributing food and gifts. The accusation came first; the blows came next.”
Similar allegations surfaced in Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where pastors and lay Christians were detained after complaints by local groups. In several cases, courts later granted bail. “The case collapsed in two hearings,” Pastor Samuel, of eastern Uttar Pradesh, said. “But the damage to our name remains.”
In Telangana, a group of carol singers were attacked during a street procession, and a pastor was hit with stones. “We were singing about peace,” one of the singers, Sunita, said. “The crowd said we had no right to sing.”
Members of Hindu organisations disrupted school celebrations in Assam’s Nalbari district.
In Lajpat Nagar, in Delhi, women wearing Santa hats reported being questioned by activists about proselytism. “It felt like an interrogation,” one woman, who asked not to be named, said. “I was buying cake.”
Christian leaders link these incidents to state anti-conversion laws, which operate in several states. While official records show that many cases end without conviction, the laws reportedly remain a tool for complaints and detentions. “The process itself becomes punishment,” Advocate John Dayal said. “Fear spreads faster than any verdict.”
Responses by police varied. In parts of Chhattisgarh, residents said that officers arrived late or not at all. “We called the station while our shed was burning,” a farmer from Kanker district, said. “No one came.”
Christian groups welcomed the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, at a Christmas event in Delhi, but they questioned its impact. “We need protection, not photos,” A. C. Michael, of the United Christian Forum, said.
Opposition leaders raised concerns in Parliament and public forums. The Congress member Shashi Tharoor warned that silence from authorities risked weakening social trust. “This is not about one community,” he said. “It is about the republic.”
Bishops spoke of Christmas celebration being replaced by fear. “Faith should not require permission,” said a bishop in central India who would give his name only as Paul. “Yet permission is what people now seek,” he continued.
For many Christians, the season ended without lights or song. “We prayed indoors,” Ms D’Souza said. “We prayed to be left alone.”