US condemns vandalism of Hindu temple with anti-India graffiti, says ‘those responsible should be held accountable’
- We condemn the vandalism of Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple in California. We welcome efforts by the Newark Police Department to ensure that those responsible are held accountable: US Department of State
The US State Department on Saturday condemned the vandalism of the Shri Swaminarayan Temple with anti-India graffiti in California. The US authorities informed that they welcomed the Newark Police Department's efforts to ensure that those responsible are held accountable. The Newark police in their prima facie report had stated that suspected pro-Khalistani activists had allegedly vandalised the Hindu temple.
In a post shared on microblogging site X by the official handle of the US State Department for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs stated, “We condemn the vandalism of Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple in California. We welcome efforts by the Newark Police Department to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.”
The Consulate General of India in San Francisco on Saturday condemned the defacement of the Swaminarayan Mandir in California with anti-India graffiti It called for quick investigation and prompt action on the matter from the US authorities.
The Newark Police Service has started an investigation into the incident.
"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," Bhargav Raval, the spokesperson for the temple administration, told news agency ANI.
This is not the first such incident where a temple has been defaced with anti-India graffiti in the recent past. The incident comes close on the heels of the US Justice Department unsealing an indictment against an Indian national for his alleged involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate Khalistan separatist and leader of banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.
The Justice Department claimed that an Indian government employee (named CC-1), who was not identified in the indictment filed in a federal court in Manhattan, recruited an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman to carry out the assassination of Pannun, which was foiled by US authorities, according to prosecutors.
Nikhil Gupta is currently in custody and has been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Czech authorities arrested and detained Gupta on June 30, pursuant to the bilateral extradition treaty between the US and the Czech Republic.
Earlier in September, Khalistanis allegedly attacked the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. Videos of supporters breaking the doors and barging into the office surfaced on social media.
(With ANI inputs)
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Business NewsNewsWorldUS condemns vandalism of Hindu temple with anti-India graffiti, says ‘those responsible should be held accountable’
First Published:23 Dec 2023, 09:05 PM IST
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