Southern California Hindu temple vandalized with anti-India messages
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office launched the probe to find the culprits behind the tagging of a temple with 'political messages,' authorities said in a news release.
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Temple in Chino Hills opens its doors to visitors daily at 9 a.m., according to the temple's website. On Saturday, templegoers were met with tags that read: 'F— Modi, Hindustan, and Moradabad." The graffiti referred to Narendra Modi, prime minister of India; the historical name for the nation; and a city in western Uttar Pradesh state.
The taggers sprayed these words on the temple's marble sign, a brick wall and city sidewalk, authorities said.
Deputies arrived at the temple around 9:13 a.m. and soon notified Chino Hills Code Enforcement, whose officers are tasked with maintaining the appearance and safety of property in the city. Mehul Patel, a BAPS volunteer, said all the graffiti on the property and sidewalk was removed as of Sunday.
'In the face of another Mandir desecration, this time in Chino Hills, CA, the Hindu community stands steadfast against hate,' BAPS Public Affairs said on X. 'Together with the community in Chino Hills and Southern California, we will never let hate take root.'
Members of the Hindu community took to social media to express their concerns about the vandalism of temples, listening 10 in California and elsewhere that they said had been damaged or burglarized in recent years.
'Not surprising this happens as the day for a so-called 'Khalistan referendum' in LA draws close,' the Coalition of Hindus of North America said on X. 'It's just another day in a world where media and academics will insist there is no anti-Hindu hate and that #Hinduphobia is just a construct of our imagination.'
The referendum is a nonbinding vote in a movement to create an independent Sikh nation, Khalistan, in India's Punjab state.
Read more: California Sikhs are driving a separatist movement. India calls them terrorists
Patel said the most recent vandalism attack took place at BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Sacramento and consisted of similarly disturbing messages.
"We are aware there have been other incidents at BAPS not only in California but also around the country," Patel said. "From what I know, a suspect has not been located for the Sacramento incident. There wasn't any security footage; here we have it."
Surveillance footage, he said, shows two suspects walking up to the temple and scoping out the area before tagging the marble sign. One suspect waits for a car to pass before tagging the sidewalk.
'Saddened to hear about this act of hateful vandalism,' Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San José) said on X. "The Chino Hills Mandir is a beautiful place of worship and community building and I stand with them and the Hindu community in Chino Hills and Southern California against such vile hate.'
Authorities have yet to classify this incident as a hate crime. No update was available Sunday, Public Information Officer Mara Rodriguez of the San Bernandino Sheriff's Office told the Times.
BAPS, which stands for Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, is a socio-spiritual Hindu faith with its roots in the Vedas — a collection of sacred texts that serve as the religion's core foundation, according to the temple's website. The faith was established in 1907 by Shastriji Maharaj.
Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs, told the British news outlet the Independent on Sunday that New Delhi condemned the "despicable acts."
"We call upon the local law enforcement authorities to take stringent action against those responsible for these acts, and also ensure adequate security [for] places of worship," Jaiswal said.
Members of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Temple held a prayer Sunday afternoon, calling for peace and unity.
Chino Hills Mayor Art Bennett attended the prayer and called the graffiti "hateful."
"We are following up with our Police Department, and we will find out who these people are and charge every criminal," Bennett said at the event. "We have always welcomed the BAPS in Chino Hills, and we were so happy when they chose to put this mandir here back in 2004. It is a place of beauty and cultural excellence."
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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