Overview
- The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India warned of an alarming rise in assaults on worshippers and demanded the BJP remove Jabalpur leader Anju Bhargava.
- Police in Jabalpur said they found no evidence of forced conversion after Bhargava allegedly assaulted Safalta Kartik, a visually impaired woman at a church event.
- In Kerala’s Palakkad district, RSS worker Ashwin Raj was arrested for attacking a children’s carol group, as the state ordered inquiries and warned of stringent action.
- Reports cited threats and disruptions from Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar to Chhattisgarh, where digital posters called for a bandh, and some schools scrapped Christmas events.
- Services proceeded across India with large turnouts; at Delhi’s Cathedral Church of the Redemption, a special prayer was offered for the prime minister during the service.