A day after vandalism was reported at a school in Nalbari district of Assam, state BJP president Dilip Saikia said that there is no objection to the celebration of Christmas or any other religious festival in the country. However, he expressed concern about what he described as a steady decline in the number of people following Sanatani beliefs and traditions.
Speaking to the media, Saikia said that the Constitution of India gives every citizen the right to choose and practise their religion freely. He added that all religious celebrations should be respected. At the same time, he questioned whether the freedom to practise religion is being enjoyed in the same manner by all communities.
Saikia said that his worry is whether the percentage of people who follow Sanatani ideology has gone down over the years, while the share of other religious communities has not fallen. He suggested that this imbalance raises serious questions and needs wider discussion in society. 
He further alleged that Hindus are being repeatedly targeted and asked whether religious conversions are happening only in one direction. He questioned whether there are cases where people from other faiths convert into Hinduism through religious initiation, and why conversions seem to involve Hindus more often. However, he also clarified that his statements were not aimed at any single community.
Saikia said that constant provocation could hurt the feelings of a section of society, but stressed that no one has the right to break the law. He added that people have the right to protest in a democracy, but all protests must stay peaceful and lawful. He also appealed to the indigenous people of Assam to stay alert and protect their cultural identity while following the Constitution and respecting the rule of law.
His comments came after a serious incident in Panigaon village in Nalbari district, where St Mary’s English School was allegedly targeted on Christmas Eve. Police have arrested four people reportedly linked to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Bajrang Dal. A case was registered at Belsor Police Station under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police said the arrested men have been identified as Bhaskar Deka, who is said to be the General Secretary of the VHP Bajrang Dal in Nalbari, along with Manash Jyoti Patgiri, Biju Dutta, and Nayan Talukdar. According to police sources, the group allegedly went into the school premises, damaged Christmas decorations, burnt some items, and shouted slogans. There were also reports that some shops selling Christmas goods in Nalbari town were attacked and items were burnt in protest against what the group called a festival of foreign origin.
