Overview
- Speaking in Bengaluru, the former prime minister called recent incidents targeting churches highly condemnable and pressed for strict action wherever they occurred.
- He noted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance at a Christmas service in Delhi as a respectful gesture and expressed confidence that firm steps would follow.
- The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India president, Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, appealed to national and state leaders for proactive protection of Christian communities.
- Assam police are examining CCTV after videos showed a group allegedly vandalising Christmas decorations at St Mary’s English School in Nalbari, with legal action initiated.
- In Kerala’s Palakkad district, reports say a children’s carol group was stopped, drawing condemnation from Bishop Peter Kochupurackal, while a local BJP leader alleged the group had CPI(M) links and was intoxicated, claims that CPI(M) has not addressed.