Guwahati: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president and Jorhat Member of Parliament Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday strongly condemned the vandalism of Christmas decorations at St. Mary’s English School in Panigaon, Nalbari district, calling the incident a serious attack on religious freedom and the constitutional principle of fraternity.
Following the incident, Christmas celebrations in Assam appeared subdued, with the festive spirit dampened by fear, hurt sentiments and concerns over communal harmony.
John, a resident of Tinsukia district, told Northeast Now, “We are sad. It was unexpected in a land known for peace and religious harmony. We hope such an incident will not be repeated in the future.”
Gogoi accused the ruling BJP of patronising divisive forces to divert attention from alleged corruption and governance failures.
In a detailed statement on social media, Gogoi said he strongly denounced the destruction of Christmas celebration materials and symbols of religious faith at St. Mary’s School in Panigaon, Nalbari.
Gogoi emphasised constitutional values and said the ideal of “fraternity” is enshrined in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution, asserting that the Nalbari incident directly undermined this foundational principle.
He further stated that if the Congress comes to power in Assam next year, the party will enact a stringent law to ensure severe punishment for any individual or organisation that insults or attacks places of worship or religious festivals, irrespective of whether they belong to the Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jain, Buddhist or Sikh faiths.
“We will build a new Assam at any cost,” Gogoi said, reiterating the Congress party’s commitment to communal harmony and constitutional values.
The incident occurred on December 24 at St. Mary’s English School in Panigaon, Nalbari district, when alleged activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal reportedly entered the school premises and vandalised decorations prepared for Christmas celebrations, triggering tension in the area.
According to a written complaint filed by the school principal, Fr. Baiju Sebastian, the incident took place around 2:30 pm when miscreants unlawfully entered the campus and damaged serial lights, decorative items, flower pots and other materials. Some Christmas-related articles were allegedly set on fire, causing significant property damage.
Based on the complaint, Belsor Police Station registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and entrusted the investigation to Sub-Inspector Chanakya Das.
Police later arrested four persons in alleged connection with the case — Bhaskar Deka, Manash Jyoti Patgiri, Biju Dutta and Nayan Talukdar — all residents of Nalbari district and office-bearers of the VHP and Bajrang Dal.
The incident has sparked widespread concern across Assam, with political parties and civil society organisations warning that such acts threaten communal harmony and calling for strict legal action to prevent attempts to disrupt religious festivities in the state.