Vandals target Christmas decorations at Assam school, mob attacks mall in Raipur GUWAHATI/RAIPUR: Right-wing vandals smashed Xmas decorations in Assam and Chhattisgarh on Christmas Day, leading to the arrests of four people in Nalbari, Assam, and an FIR in Raipur against 25-30 activists.The arrests in Assam — three activists of VHP and one of Bajrang Dal — took place after Christmas decorations were smashed at St Mary’s School in Nalbari. A group of Hindutva activists stormed the school, tearing down and burning banners and posters. They also targeted nearby shops in Nalbari town selling Christmas items and dismantled a Nativity crib on the school premises.Nalbari SSP Bibekananda Das confirmed the four arrests. “We earlier identified three active members, though the group was larger. All were locals of Nalbari district,” Das said. The case was registered after Fr Baiju Sebastian, the school principal, filed a complaint. He claimed that around 2.30 pm on Wednesday, miscreants entered the school premises, and damaged decorations, lights and plant pots, and set other articles on fire.Those arrested are VHP district secretary Bhaskar Deka, VHP district vice-president Manash Jyoti Patgiri, and VHP assistant secretary Biju Dutta, and Nayan Talukdar, a Bajrang Dal district convener. The activists shouted “Jai Shri Ram” and warned school authorities against celebrating Christmas. They allegedly threatened school officials and asked whether they celebrated Saraswati Puja on campus. “From this year, you have to stop Christmas celebrations,” one activist told a school official, according to a purported video of the event.In Raipur, stick-wielding members of a fringe outfit stormed Magneto Mall during Thursday’s Chhattisgarh shutdown against the violence around Kanker burial and alleged religious conversions. They vandalised property, gilded Christmas decorations, and damaged a Christmas tree and a Santa Claus figure. The mall management said they had suffered losses running into lakhs.The mall management claimed 40-50 people with rods and hockey sticks, allegedly asked staff and others inside, “Are you Hindu or Christian? What is your caste?” They even checked ID cards and badges of staff, officials said.An FIR was lodged based on a complaint by the mall.About the AuthorKangkan KalitaKangkan Kalita is a reporter with The Times of India and covers issues on health, education, stories of human interest while keeping a close watch on political developments and student movements. Reporting on environment and forest related issues and concerns of the northeast interest him equally.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBangladesh Unrest: Another Hindu Man Lynched; Police Claim Extortion Bid‘Hurt Hindu Sentiments’: Bajrang Dal Protests Outside Bareilly Church, Video Viral‘Bit Late but Strong’: Amit Shah Highlights India’s Semiconductor Industry Growth‘One Family Rule’: PM Modi Slams Congress at Prerna Sthal InaugurationBNP Chairman Tarique Rahman Makes Grand Comeback To Bangladesh, Evokes Martin Luther King In SpeechMajor anti-Naxal success: Rs 1.2-crore bounty Maoist Ganesh Uike among four gunned down in Odisha’Every Indian Is Assaulted When…’: Shashi Tharoor Slams Attacks On Christmas Celebrations In IndiaNitin Gadkari Reveals Shocking Experience of Meeting Hamas Leader Before His Assassination in Iran’You’ll Know Me Now’: Gunman’s Chilling Threat Before Killing AMU Teacher Inside Campus In UPWhy Tarique Rahman’s Return To Dhaka After 17 Years Could Reshape Bangladesh Politics After Hasina123PhotostoriesAvoid making these 5 worst sleep mistakesWhat happens when you practice ‘sideways walking’How to take calcium and magnesium supplements for maximum absorption and why taking them together may not be idealExclusive – From facing blame for breaking the team to claiming Shubhangi Atre copied her Angoori; Shilpa Shinde on Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai, comeback, and comparisonsNew parents of 2025: Chris Evans-Alba Baptista to Millie Bobby Brown-Jake BongioviPost-festive detox: Simple ways to detox your body with turmericWhy South India is the ultimate January escape: 10 places to prove it!Year ender 2025: From Akshaye Khanna, Adarsh Gourav to Sanya Malhotra, actors who redefined their craft beyond the blockbustersFrom fitness to confidence: Why kids should be encouraged to pick up sportsYour Soul’s Biggest Fear Based On Your Birth Date123Hot PicksUAE WeatherPAN-Aadhaar linkingKarbi Anglong CurfewGold rate todayIncome Tax RefundPublic Holidays DecemberBank Holidays DecemberTop TrendingTaylor SwiftPaul RuddPatrick MahomesMegan Thee Stallion Net Worth 2025Travis KelceJoel EmbiidSavannah James Net WorthSophie CunninghamDrew McIntyre and Kaitlyn Frohnapfel Net WorthKhamzat Chimaev
GUWAHATI/RAIPUR: Right-wing vandals smashed Xmas decorations in Assam and Chhattisgarh on Christmas Day, leading to the arrests of four people in Nalbari, Assam, and an FIR in Raipur against 25-30 activists.The arrests in Assam — three activists of VHP and one of Bajrang Dal — took place after Christmas decorations were smashed at St Mary’s School in Nalbari. A group of Hindutva activists stormed the school, tearing down and burning banners and posters. They also targeted nearby shops in Nalbari town selling Christmas items and dismantled a Nativity crib on the school premises.Nalbari SSP Bibekananda Das confirmed the four arrests. “We earlier identified three active members, though the group was larger. All were locals of Nalbari district,” Das said. The case was registered after Fr Baiju Sebastian, the school principal, filed a complaint. He claimed that around 2.30 pm on Wednesday, miscreants entered the school premises, and damaged decorations, lights and plant pots, and set other articles on fire.Those arrested are VHP district secretary Bhaskar Deka, VHP district vice-president Manash Jyoti Patgiri, and VHP assistant secretary Biju Dutta, and Nayan Talukdar, a Bajrang Dal district convener. The activists shouted “Jai Shri Ram” and warned school authorities against celebrating Christmas. They allegedly threatened school officials and asked whether they celebrated Saraswati Puja on campus. “From this year, you have to stop Christmas celebrations,” one activist told a school official, according to a purported video of the event.In Raipur, stick-wielding members of a fringe outfit stormed Magneto Mall during Thursday’s Chhattisgarh shutdown against the violence around Kanker burial and alleged religious conversions. They vandalised property, gilded Christmas decorations, and damaged a Christmas tree and a Santa Claus figure. The mall management said they had suffered losses running into lakhs.The mall management claimed 40-50 people with rods and hockey sticks, allegedly asked staff and others inside, “Are you Hindu or Christian? What is your caste?” They even checked ID cards and badges of staff, officials said.An FIR was lodged based on a complaint by the mall.