In its first assertion on the vandalism of a Hindu temple, america Saturday condemned the act whereby partitions of the SMVS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in California had been defaced with anti-India graffiti on Friday.
It additionally welcomed efforts by the Newark Police Division to make sure that these accountable are held accountable.
In a put up on X, the US Division of State stated, “We condemn the vandalism of Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple in California. We welcome efforts by the Newark Police Division to make sure that these accountable are held accountable.”
We condemn the vandalism of Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple in California. We welcome efforts by the Newark Police Division to make sure that these accountable are held accountable.
— State_SCA (@State_SCA) December 23, 2023
In photos circulating on social media, the phrase ‘Khalistan’ may very well be seen spray-painted on a signpost outdoors the temple together with different objectionable graffiti, information company PTI reported.
Reacting to the incident, Exterior Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that extremists and separatists shouldn’t be given any area. Talking to reporters, he stated, “I’ve seen it. Extremists and separatists shouldn’t be given any area. Our Consulate there has registered a criticism with the federal government and the police and an inquiry is underway.”
The Indian Embassy in San Francisco had sought an investigation into the incident.
The Consulate Basic of India in San Francisco strongly condemned the incident in a put up on social media platform X. “This incident has damage the emotions of the Indian group. We’ve got pressed for fast investigation and immediate motion towards the vandals by the US authorities on this matter,” the put up learn.
The Newark police had stated that any acts or threats of violence, property harm, harassment, intimidation, or different crimes motivated by hate or bias are thought-about very critical and given very excessive precedence. “Based mostly on the content material of the graffiti it’s believed that the defacement was a focused act, and the vandalism is being investigated as a potential hate crime,” the Metropolis of Newark Police Division stated in an emailed assertion to information company PTI.