Vendors selling Santa Claus hats and pictures in Puri, including an elderly couple, were harassed, humiliated and told to leave by a group manning the road near the Shree Jagannath Temple in an SUV on Monday. However, the Bajrang Dal said it did not appreciate the sale of products connected with other religions near a prominent Hindu shrine. “Garib aadmi hai toh Jagannath ka bech, yeh sab Christian ka nahin chalega (If you are poor, sell items related to Lord Jagannath. These items related to Christianity will not be allowed to be sold here),” the man told the vendor. Commenting on the issue, Bajrang Dal’s Puri co-ordinator Shantanu Pandey said: “The youths who threatened the vendors are not from Puri.

Source: The Telegraph December 24, 2025 01:35 UTC