NEW DELHI: On Christmas Eve, a group of Bajrang Dal members in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, burned an effigy of Santa Claus. A video in social media, of a man burning an effigy and shouting "Go back, Santa Claus!" is circulating.
The event occurred at the intersection of St John's College and Mahatma Gandhi Marg. A parade led by members of the Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad and the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal carried effigies of Santa Claus.
The effigies were subsequently set on fire, with activists shouting "Santa Claus Murdabad."
Later, the activists issued a statement expressing their strong opposition to the Christian society's purported attempts to convert Hindus "by utilizing the farce of Santa Claus during the Christmas season."
Ajju Chauhan, general secretary of the Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad and the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, accused missionary schools of forcibly converting youngsters by dressing them up as Santa Claus and penalizing them if they do not comply.
Santa Claus [Claus] does not provide gifts; his sole purpose is to convert Hindus to Christianity. It's no longer going to work. Any effort at conversion will be rejected outright. If this does not stop, there will be riots in missionary schools," Ajju Chauhan added.
Avtar Singh Gill, President of the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, told media that Christian missionaries are running large schools while also converting Hindus.
Rashtriya Bajrang Dal will form teams to prevent this. These teams will keep an eye on villages and mohallas to prevent such nefarious conversion attempts to Christianity. "If any missionary is found doing this, the Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad and the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal will take severe measures against him," Avtar Singh Gill said.
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