Christian schools in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh have been issued a warning by the Hindu Jagran Manch, a right-wing Hindutva group affiliated to Yogi Adityanath's Hindu Yuva Vahini, not to celebrate Christmas as it may lure the students to Christianity.
The HYM suspects Christmas celebration in schools, with a major population of Hindu students, is a step 'towards forced conversions', reported The Times of India.
Students are asked to bring toys and gifts which is an easy way to lure them to Christianity, city president of Hindu Jagran Manch, Sonu Savita told the daily, adding that such kind of activities can affect the mentality of Hindu students.
The threat comes just days after Bajrang Dal activists accused a group carol-singing Christians of coversion, and torched their car of priest outside a police station in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh.
Hindu Yuva Vahini, set up in 2002 by Yogi Adityanath who is now Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, had early this year, filed a complaint against the pastor of a church, accusing him of converting Hindus to Christianity.
A church event in Maharajganj district in eastern Uttar Pradesh, attended by more than 150 people, including 10 American tourists, was stopped by the police after the right-wing Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV) alleged that religious conversion was being carried out.
Mass was held there quite often but as this time foreigners were involved, the HYV suspected that conversion was going on.
Back in 2014, Yogi Adityanath had warned Christians not to celebrate Christmas outside Churches. "If they can call our Ghar Wapasi programme wrong then holding such function by the Christian missionaries is also wrong. Many such ceremonies by them (Christian priests) have been reported and stopped by the administration and any further plans too should be scuttled," he had then told The Economic Times.
