Four held in Nalbari for vandalising Xmas banners at St Mary’s School

Guwahati: Police on Thursday arrested three Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and one Bajrang Dal activist in Assam’s Nalbari district, following vandalism of Chritmas decoratives at St Mary’s School.The incident took place on Wednesday when a group of Hindutva activists stormed the school campus, tearing down and burning banners and posters. They also targeted nearby shops in Nalbari town selling Christmas items, dismantling a nativity crib on the school premises.Nalbari SSP Bibekananda Das confirmed the arrest of four individuals linked to the vandalism. “We earlier identified three active members, though the group was larger. All were locals of Nalbari district,” Das said. The case was registered at Belsor Police Station after Fr. Baiju Sebastian, the school’s principal, filed a complaint. He reported that around 2:30pm on Wednesday, unidentified miscreants entered the school premises, causing damage to decorations, lights, plant pots, and other articles, which were also set on fire.The arrested individuals, including Bhaskar Deka, Nalbari district secretary of VHP, Manash Jyoti Patgiri, vice president of VHP, Biju Dutta, assistant secretary of VHP, and Nayan Talukdar, district convener of Bajrang Dal, Nalbari, were charged with criminal trespass, mischief, criminal intimidation, and criminal conspiracy under various sections of the BNS.The Assam Christian Forum (ACF) said, “This act wounds religious sentiments, spreads hatred, and violates constitutional rights to freedom of religion under Article 25, threatening Assam’s peace and harmony,” said Allen Brooks, spokesperson of ACF. The forum demanded the arrest of all culprits and called for strict adherence to the law to ensure exemplary punishment, deterring future incidents and restoring faith in the justice system. “We demand enhancement of security protocols for places of worship and religious events across the state to prevent recurrence. This is not Assam’s culture — and not true to Assam’s ethos of unity inspired by saint Srimanta Shankardeva,” Brooks added.The activists shouted “Jai Shree Ram” slogans and warned the school authorities against celebrating Christmas. In Nalbari town, the same group burned Santa caps, Christmas trees, and other related items in a marketplace on the same day. They searched for the school principal, who was absent, and allegedly threatened school officials, questioning whether they celebrated Saraswati Puja on campus. “From this year, you have to stop Christmas celebrations,” one activist was seen threatening a school official in a video. A VHP activist on camera questioned the celebration of Christmas in a predominantly Hindu district, asking why Saraswati Puja was not allowed in the school.