A Hindu Mandir has been vandalized with anti-India and pro Khalistani graffiti on its exterior walls in Newark, California. The pictures were shared on X by the Hindu American Foundation, showing some highly objectionable slogans scribbled on the walls of the Swaminarayan Mandir Vasana Sanstha.
These graffiti also showed extremely hateful slogans against Bharat and PM Modi on the wall of the mandir. The Mandir administration condemned this act and said that such hateful messages have been written to traumatize people visiting the temple and also create a “fear of violence”.
This mandir is situated in California’s Newark city, about 100 km from Washington DC. Bhargav Raval, the spokesperson for the mandir administration told that, One of the devotees, who lives close to the shrine, discovered anti-Hindu and anti-India graffiti in black ink on an exterior wall of the building, and the local administration was immediately informed.
A case has been filed with the Newark Police Department and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
Indian Consulate General in San Francisco has condemned this act and demanded strict action in the matter, adding that the vandalism has hurt the Hindus living in the USA. The Consulate General said. “We strongly condemn the defacing of SMVS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir at Newark, California with anti-India graffiti. This incident has hurt the sentiments of the Indian community. We have pressed for quick investigation and prompt action against the vandals by the US authorities in this matter,” in a post on X.
This is not the first time a Hindu mandir has been attacked or defaced. We have seen number of similar incidents in the recent past, in the nations such as USA, Canada, and Australia. India has earlier expressed concern over such provoking activities by Khalistan supporters and clamped down on organizations and individuals trying to stoke separatist sentiment in different countries.
However, the governments of the USA and Canada are more interested in nurturing and supporting Khalistani terrorists, who are openly committing anti-Bharat activities. Canada went a step ahead and accused India of having a role in Khalistani terrorist Nijjar’s murder, but hasn’t yet provided India with evidence for the allegations. On the other hand, the USA has also arrested an Indian for alleged involvement in a plot to murder Khalistan terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
