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The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India appealed to Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure strict enforcement of the law and protection for Christian communities so that Christmas could be celebrated “in an atmosphere of security and harmony”.

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The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India on Tuesday warned of an “alarming rise in attacks” on Christians in several states ahead of Christmas, saying the incidents undermine the country’s constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and the right to worship without fear.

In a statement, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India said it was “particularly shocked” by an incident in the central Indian city of Jabalpur, where a visually impaired woman attending a Christmas programme was assaulted by a local leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The assault occurred on Saturday at a church, where the BJP’s Jabalpur vice-president, Anju Bhargava, accused the woman of carrying out religious conversions. The incident took place in the presence of a police officer.

Bhargava had entered the church along with members of several Hindutva organisations, alleging that visually impaired children were being coerced into religious conversion. The event had been organised by Christian groups as part of Christmas celebrations.

Students present denied that any conversions had taken place. An unidentified police officer was quoted by The Indian Express as saying there was “no evidence of forced conversion”.

The Catholic bishops called on Tuesday for Bhargava’s dismissal from the BJP.

The conference also criticised the circulation of what it described as “hate-filled digital posters in Chhattisgarh”, which reportedly called for a bandh against Christians on Wednesday, warning that such messages could “inflame tensions and incite further violence”.

Condemning the incidents, the bishops urged state governments and the federal administration to take “urgent and visible action” against individuals and organisations spreading hate and violence.

They also appealed to Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure strict enforcement of the law and protection for Christian communities so that Christmas could be celebrated “in an atmosphere of security and harmony”.

Several incidents involving attacks on Christians or disruptions to Christmas events have been reported in recent days.

In the southern state of Kerala, a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was arrested after a group of children singing Christmas carols was attacked while visiting homes in Pudussery village in Palakkad district on Monday. The RSS is the ideological parent of the BJP.

Separately, some schools in Kerala run by Hindutva organisations and a privately managed Hindu institution were accused last week of halting Christmas celebrations, allegations the school managements denied.

In the northern state of Uttarakhand, a hotel operated by the state tourism department cancelled a Christmas event on the banks of the Ganga river in Haridwar following protests called by the Ganga Sabha, which manages the Har-ki-Pauri ghat.

On Monday, Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj shared a video he said was recorded in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar, showing men threatening women and children wearing Santa Claus caps.