New York

A BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Melville, Long Island was vandalized sometime between 7 pm on Sunday and 6:30 am on Monday, according to reports. The temple’s signboard and driveway were spray-painted with “threatening and derogatory anti-Hindu messages”. The Suffolk police are investigating the incident as a hate-crime.

The temple is located less than 20 miles away from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum where Prime Minister Modi will meet with Indian community members on September 22 as part of his visit to the U.S.

In a social media post, the Indian Consulate in New York called the vandalism “unacceptable”. The Consulate also said that it is in touch with local law enforcement authorities investigating this incident.

The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, the organization that runs the temple organized a prayer meet on Monday at the site of the vandalism. Congressmen Nick LaLota (R) and Tom Suozzi (D), and New York state senator Mario Mattera (R) attended the meeting.

Earlier this year in July, a BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Edmonton, Canada was also defaced with graffiti. Similar instances of temple vandalism also took place in Newark and Hayward in December 2023 and January 2024 respectively.

Read: A Tale of Abandoned Hindu Temple in Karachi

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Courtesy: India Currents (Posted on September 17, 2024)

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