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HD Deve Gowda condemned church attacks and urged PM Modi to act, as CBCI president Andrews Thazhath called for protection for Christians.
D(S) MP HD Deve Gowda at a press conference on Friday. (PTI)
Former Prime Minister and JD(S) MP HD Deve Gowda on Friday slammed the attacks on church and demanded action by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The attacks on the church are a very heinous act, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take action,” Gowda said at a press conference.
This comes amid reports of alleged attacks on Christian groups in some states and an incident involving a Christmas carol group in Pudussery in Palakkad district.
According to reports, the carol group, comprising children, was visiting the houses of the faithful in an area on Sunday night when it was stopped.
Catholic bishop Peter Kochupurackal strongly condemned the incident and demanded stringent action to prevent a recurrence of such episodes.
However, a senior BJP leader in Palakkad district alleged that the group involved in the Palakkad incident comprised members of the ruling CPI(M) and claimed that they were drunk and had gone to the area to deliberately create issues.
He further alleged that the group carried band instruments associated with the CPI(M). The CPI(M) is yet to respond to these allegations.
A group of Bajrang Dal activists allegedly vandalised Christmas decorations at a diocese-run school in Assam’s Nalbari town on Wednesday, Christmas Eve. The group also damaged and burnt Christmas items being sold at a nearby shop prompting legal action from the police.
The incident reportedly took place at St Mary’s English School in Panigaon, which falls under the Diocese of Bongaigaon.
Videos of the incident, which have since circulated, allegedly show the group raising Bajrang Dal slogans, along with chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Jai Hindu Rashtra’, while destroying the decorations. The officials are reviewing the CCTV footage and a further investigation into the case is underway.
Concerns have also been raised over the alleged targeting of Christians have also been voiced by church leaders at the national level.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) president Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, in a Christmas Eve appeal, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and chief ministers of various states to ensure strict enforcement of the law and extend proactive protection to Christian communities across the country.
In a video appeal released by the CBCI, the Archbishop expressed “deep pain” over what he described as a disturbing rise in attacks on Christians.
He said such incidents deeply wounded the spirit of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion and the right to worship without fear.
Referring to attacks on carol singers and faithful gathered for prayers, he said these acts had caused fear and distress among law-abiding citizens who only sought to celebrate their faith in peace.
December 26, 2025, 18:01 IST
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