Raipur: A mob barged into the Magneto Mall in Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur city on Wednesday (December 24). The mob was reportedly armed with wooden sticks. The miscreants vandalised decorations installed for Christmas.
Notably, on Wednesday, there was also a call for a ‘Chhattisgarh bandh’ to protest the alleged illegal conversions, reported The Indian Express. The security guards present at the mall reportedly tried to stop the mob.
An employee of the mall, on the condition of anonymity, told the media house that 80–90 people barged into the mall and threatened and shouted at him and other employees.
Video Of People Vandalising Chritmas Decorations:
Meanwhile, another employee told The Indian Express that the miscreants were charging at those who tried to stop them. Visuals of vandalism inside the mall also surfaced online.
Notably, the Sarva Hindu Samaj called for a day-long ‘Chhattisgarh bandh’ against alleged religious conversions. The bandh was called after a clash between members of two communities over the burial of a person in Kanker district's Bastar region, which took place on December 18. Several people, including police personnel, were reportedly injured in the clash.
As per The Indian Express report, the dispute started on December 16 when the sarpanch of Badetevda village in Kanker district, Rajman Salam, buried his father’s body as per Christian rituals. The mob then vandalised a prayer hall and set ablaze articles inside the hall.
On Wednesday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed deep concern over increasing attacks on Christmas celebrations in different parts of the country and said such incidents undermine the universal message of peace associated with the festival.
Terming such incidents as deeply disturbing, he said reports have emerged of widespread attacks on Christmas celebrations in states including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
