Mob vandalises Christmas decorations in Raipur mall amid Chhattisgarh bandh | VIDEO

Chhattisgarh: A group described by opposition leaders as a Hindutva mob vandalised Christmas decorations at a shopping mall in Raipur on Wednesday, amid a state-wide shutdown called by Hindu organisations in Chhattisgarh.

Videos circulating on social media showed a large crowd at Magneto Mall in the state capital, some carrying sticks, forcing its way into the mall and damaging Christmas decorations a day before the festival. Police said the overall situation across the state remained largely peaceful, with only a few incidents of vandalism reported.

The bandh, called by right-wing groups to protest against alleged religious conversions, had a mixed impact across Chhattisgarh. Normal life was disrupted in several cities, including Raipur, Durg, Bastar, Rajnandgaon, Korba, Bilaspur, Bijapur and Surguja, where most shops and commercial establishments remained shut. In contrast, the shutdown had a limited effect in some rural areas and districts such as Balrampur. Hospitals and essential services were exempted, though traffic was disrupted in many places as protesters blocked roads and staged demonstrations.

Congress holds RSS and BJP responsible for ‘atmosphere of fear’

Chhattisgarh Congress communication department head Sushil Anand Shukla alleged that the bandh was “sponsored by the government and the RSS”. He claimed that RSS-affiliated organisations and BJP workers enforced the shutdown and created an atmosphere of fear, accusing police of failing to intervene. Shukla further alleged incidents of vandalism and intimidation in Rajnandgaon, Bilaspur, Raipur, Raigarh and Bastar, saying that more than 100 people entered Raipur’s Magneto Mall armed with sticks and damaged property in the presence of police.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) had earlier written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah condemning what it described as an “alarming” rise in alleged attacks on Christians in several states during the Christmas season.

Communal tensions since Kanker burial

The bandh followed recent communal tensions in the state, particularly a violent clash on December 18 in Badetevda (Amabeda) village in Kanker district. More than 20 police personnel were among those injured after a dispute between two communities over the burial of a man from a Christian family. During the unrest, a mob vandalised a prayer hall and set items inside it on fire.

Tensions in the village had been building since December 16, when Rajman Salam, the village sarpanch, buried his father on private land following Christian rites. Some villagers objected to the burial, and the administration later exhumed the body and reburied it at another location.

Defending the bandh, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) state president Ghanshyam Choudhary said the protest was meant to draw attention to alleged forced religious conversions in Chhattisgarh, particularly in tribal areas. Referring to the Badetevda incident, he claimed the burial had gone ahead despite objections from tribal residents, triggering anger and clashes. According to Choudhary, Sarva Hindu Samaj subsequently called for the state-wide shutdown.

In a separate incident, an RSS worker was arrested after a children’s Christmas carol group was allegedly attacked while visiting houses in Palakkad’s Pudussery on Monday.

(With PTI inputs)