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Hindutva's Erosion of Religious Freedom: The Denial of Christmas and the Targeting of Christians in India

Figure 1: Hindutva violence targeting Christians in India


The recent decision in certain Indian states and institutions to deny Christmas as a public holiday—replacing it with mandatory observances for "Good Governance Day" commemorating Atal Bihari Vajpayee—exposes a deeper crisis in India's secular fabric. As highlighted in a recent analysis, this is not an isolated administrative choice but a deliberate assertion of majoritarian precedence under Hindutva ideology. In Kerala, staff at Lok Bhavan were required to work on December 25, 2025, while schools in Uttar Pradesh under the Yogi Adityanath government mandated attendance for Vajpayee's birth centenary programs, effectively marginalizing Christian celebrations. Similar disruptions occurred in Uttarakhand, where Christmas events in Haridwar were cancelled amid protests labeling them "anti-Hindu."

These symbolic exclusions are part of a broader pattern of hostility toward Christians, fueled by Hindutva's militant majoritarianism. Documented incidents of violence against Christians surged from 601 in 2023 to at least 834 in 2024, according to reports from the United Christian Forum and allied organizations—one of the highest in a decade. By November 2025, over 700 cases had already been recorded, marking a continued escalation. These include physical assaults, church vandalism, social boycotts, and disruptions of worship. Specific cases in 2024-2025 reveal a systematic trend: mobs storming prayer services in Chhattisgarh, assaulting clergy in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, and detaining nuns and pastors on baseless "conversion" charges.
 
At the forefront of this violence is the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a key Hindutva organization affiliated with the Sangh Parivar, which has actively campaigned against Christian celebrations. VHP leaders have issued appeals urging Hindus to boycott Christmas, framing it as a threat to Hindu culture, with their rhetoric growing louder in recent years. This has translated into direct action: VHP and Bajrang Dal "goons" have disrupted Christmas services across states, including violent interruptions in Manipur amid ongoing ethnic clashes, and widespread intimidation coinciding with Christmas 2025. In one reported incident, a Hindu mob organized violence against Christians accused of conversions, targeting festivities on Christmas Eve 2024. Christian leaders have demanded action against these attacks, noting over 720 incidents in 2024 alone, as per the Evangelical Fellowship of India.

This pattern of Hindutva-orchestrated violence against Christians is not new; a chilling historical precedent is the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons in Manoharpur village, Odisha, where a mob led by Dara Singh—a Bajrang Dal activist closely tied to the VHP—burned them alive in their vehicle while they slept. Convicted and initially sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment), Dara Singh has been portrayed as a hero in Hindutva narratives, with co-perpetrators like Mahendra Hembram—also affiliated with Bajrang Dal—recently released in April 2025 after 25 years, only to be garlanded by supporters chanting "Jai Shri Ram" and welcomed by VHP leaders as a "good day" for their cause. This glorification and political support exemplify how figures involved in anti-minority atrocities are often rehabilitated and incorporated into Hindutva's broader political infrastructure, perpetuating a cycle of impunity.
 
Hindutva's ideological framework portrays Christianity, along with Islam and Sikhism, as "alien" impositions, justifying exclusions and violence as reclamation of "Hindu" space. This extends beyond Christians: in 2024, violent attacks on Muslims included over 668 hate speech events, 36% calling for direct violence, while Sikhs and other minorities faced similar threats under anti-conversion laws and mob vigilantism. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in its 2025 report highlighted India's deteriorating conditions, recommending designation as a Country of Particular Concern for systematic violations, including the enforcement of laws that enable harassment of minorities. When assaults on clergy or vandalism become routine rather than constitutional emergencies, it signals democratic backsliding, eroding India's pluralism and denying fundamental religious freedoms.

Interrogating Hindutva in the Context of Indian Migration to Aotearoa New Zealand

As migration from India to New Zealand continues—with Indians forming the third-largest ethnic community—these developments in India demand critical interrogation. Uncritical immigration risks importing Hindutva's fundamentalist ideologies, which are incompatible with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and New Zealand's commitments to Indigenous rights and multiculturalism.

A particular concern is the mainstreaming of the Hindu Council of New Zealand (HCNZ), whose Sanskrit name is Vishva Hindu Parishad of New Zealand, directly affiliating it with the global VHP—a militant Hindutva entity linked to violence in India. Formed in the mid-1990s, HCNZ has been criticized for promoting anti-minority ideologies in Aotearoa, potentially fueling Islamophobia and supremacist narratives within the diaspora. The consequences are profound: while Hindutva groups like VHP attack Christians, Muslims, and Sikhs in India—denying religious freedom through violence and legal misuse—some diaspora Hindus leverage New Zealand's multicultural openness to assert hegemony. This includes building large temples and statues, often presented as cultural contributions, but which can subtly advance majoritarian agendas that undermine Indigenous Māori rights and true pluralism.
 
Reports of Hindutva activism in New Zealand's Indian communities highlight the need for vigilance. By mainstreaming organizations tied to VHP, New Zealand risks normalizing ideologies that erode social cohesion, importing the very extremisms that persecute minorities in India. New Zealand's immigration policies must prioritize applicants who uphold secular, pluralistic values. Interrogating Hindutva's religious fundamentalism is essential not only for protecting minorities in India but for ensuring that migration strengthens Aotearoa's diverse, Tiriti-based society—free from the shadows of majoritarian exclusion.In solidarity with India's Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, and all minorities facing Hindutva's onslaught, we must resist these erosions wherever they appear.

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