Indian Consulate in Australia defaced in shocking act of vandalism

The Indian Consulate in Melbourne was vandalised on Thursday, prompting the Indian High Commissioner to raise the issue with the Australian authorities. The front entrance of the Indian Consulate, located at 344 St Kilda Road, was defaced with a graffiti on early Thursday morning.

“The incident of defacing at the premises of the Consulate General of India in Melbourne by miscreants has been raised with Australian authorities. All necessary steps are being taken to ensure the safety and security of Indian diplomatic and consular premises and personnel in the country,” the Indian High Commissioner later said in a statement.

According to the reports, the vandalism at the Indian Consulate happened at 1 am on Thursday morning. Later, as a complaint was filed, the Victoria Police reached the location to launch an investigation.

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A spokesperson for the police also shared a statement on the vandalism at the Indian Consulate, saying, “Officers believe the front entry of the building was graffitied overnight, sometime between Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 April. An investigation into the damage remains ongoing.”

In 2024, two Hindu temples in Canberra — one in Florey and another in Mawson — were broken into and vandalised. The miscreants broke into the donation boxes. They also stole some from another temple.

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Australian foreign minister Wong had then said, “In relation to the vandalism you describe, I know that our local members have expressed a very strong view about … particularly in the week of Diwali, it is a very upsetting thing for members of the faith community and the Indian community more broadly.”