Shashi Tharoor condemns Christmas 2025 vandalism: ‘Every Indian is assaulted'

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has condemned reports of attacks on members of the Christian community during Christmas on Wednesday. The Thiruvananthapuram Member of Parliament said any such incident amounts to an assault on the values of the entire nation.

Extending Christmas greetings in his constituency, Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor spoke to the media. He said that respect for the cultural and religious traditions of all communities has always been at the core of Kerala’s political and social ethos.

“When people of a community are assaulted, every Indian is assaulted,” Tharoor is heard telling news agency PTI. The Congress leader emphasised the importance of unity and mutual respect in a diverse society.

The Congress leader said safeguarding pluralism and ensuring harmony among different faiths remain essential to preserving Kerala’s long-standing tradition of inclusive politics.

“Respect for the cultural and religious traditions of all communities is central to Kerala’s politics,” he said, as quoted by the agency.

Bajrang Dal Protest in Bareilly

Tharoor’s remarks came after a reported protest by members of the Bajrang Dal outside St Alphonsus Cathedral Church in Bareilly, UP, on Wednesday. The protestors alleged that a Christmas event had portrayed the Hindu religion in an objectionable manner.

The protest took place a day after workers from the Hindu organisation held demonstrations outside St. Alphonsus Cathedral Church in the Cantonment area, where they sat at the church gate, raised religious slogans and recited the Hanuman Chalisa.

In another similar incident, a BJP leader in Madhya Pradesh triggered controversy after a video surfaced online that allegedly showed her arguing aggressively with a visually impaired woman inside a church. The woman is heard questioning the visually impaired woman for bringing a young girl to the church “among Christians”.

In Assam, four persons associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal were arrested on Thursday for vandalising decorative items used for Christmas celebrations at a school and damaging festive articles in shops in Assam’s Nalbari district, police said.

The incident took place on Wednesday when the accused allegedly entered St Mary’s School at Panigaon village within Belsor police station limits and burnt and damaged decorative items meant for Christmas celebrations.

(With PTI inputs)