> > By: The Wire Staff > Published in: *The Wire* > Date: January 5, 2026 > Source: https://thewire.in/communalism/bajrang-dal-members-who-vandalised-christmas-decorations-walk-out-of-jail- welcomed-with-garlands
The men were welcomed with garlands and chants of “Raghu Pati Raghav Raja Ram”. Later, a procession was taken out by Bajrang Dal members who carried the six accused on their shoulders. *New Delhi:* Bajrang Dal members in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur accorded a “hero’s welcome” to six members of the Hindutva outfit who were earlier arrested for vandalising Christmas decorations at Magneto Mall in the city. After they were granted bail, the six men walked out of jail in Raipur city on Thursday (January 1). The men were welcomed with garlands and chants of “Raghu Pati Raghav Raja Ram”. Later, a procession was taken out by Bajrang Dal members who carried the six accused on their shoulders, reported *Indian Express* <https://indianexpress.com/article/india/six-bajrang-dal-men-bail-raipur-mall-vandalism-case-hero-welcome-10453462/> . “What is wrong in raising slogans against them? The entire issue is related to religious conversions by them in Chhattisgarh. All [right-wing] groups had decided to call for a bandh but a conspiracy was done and our members were put behind bars. So, slogans will be raised on the subject,” Rishi Mishra, state coordinator of the Bajrang Dal told the newspaper. Earlier, a magistrate court in Raipur had denied them bail on December 29 but the men were subsequently granted bail by a sessions court. In wake of a day-long bandh called in Chhattisgarh by right-wing groups on December 24 in protest against alleged religious conversions, a mob armed with wooden sticks had barged into Magneto Mall, which is a popular spot in the city. The mob had then vandalised Christmas decorations and installations such as Santa Claus, reindeer, sleighs and snowmen. While the security guards at the mall had tried to stop the mob, they were overpowered. Thereafter, an FIR was registered at the Telibandha police station against 30-40 unknown men under BNS sections 331(3), 324(2), 115(2), 191(2) and 190, which pertain to trespassing, intentionally causing damage or reducing the value/utility of property to cause wrongful loss, causing hurt, rioting and unlawful assembly, reported Indian Express. After the Telibandha police arrested the six men and apprehended a minor on December 27, the six men spent five days in jail. Around 300 Bajrang Dal workers had sat on an arterial road outside Telibandha police station and blocked traffic for nearly nine hours, expressing their anger over the arrests. No FIR has been registered in this incident.
