1 hour ago
A teenager was arrested for allegedly planning a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora. The case has intensified demands for stronger security amid concerns over escalating anti-Hindu hate.
Stock photo used for illustration
Washington,Oct 15, 2026 21:06 IST
India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, has described an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple near Chicago as deeply disturbing, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
A teenager was arrested for allegedly planning the shooting at a temple in Aurora, Illinois. Kwatra said racist violence, including anti-Hindu and anti-India hate, had no place in a civilised society.
“The attempted mass shooting at the Hindu temple in Aurora is deeply disturbing. Racist violence including anti-Hindu and anti-India hate has no place in a civilised society,” Kwatra said in a post on X.
US Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice would examine the incident. “Concerning. @CivilRights will review/investigate,” Dhillon posted on X, according to PTI.
Several Indian diaspora groups condemned the alleged plot. The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies said, “This incident is a stark reminder that anti-India and anti-Hindu hatred is not merely online and political rhetoric — it can translate into real world threats against our community and places of worship.”
The Coalition of Hindus of North America urged the authorities to protect temples. “We urge elected officials and law enforcement agencies to take the growing threats against Hindu places of worship seriously, strengthen protections, and unequivocally condemn Hinduphobia,” the organisation said.
“We also call on temples and community organisations to review their security measures, remain vigilant, and promptly report suspicious activity,” it added.
Suhag Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, said, “There's also no question that the hate has gone from inchoate to a very coherent anti-Hindu animus that is now radicalising white supremacists online. The risk of online hate spilling into real world violence has never been higher.”
“Hindus deserve to feel safe in our places of worship, and this plot makes it clear that anti-Hindu and anti-Indian hate are escalating to a point of putting our community in danger. We are grateful to those who stepped up to stop a horrific incident from occurring,” said Sravya Tadepalli, executive director of Hindus for Human Rights.
Chintan Patel, executive director of Indian American Impact, said, “Enough is enough. It should be obvious to everyone that hate against our communities does not stay in the back corners of the internet. When people with power and a platform cast Indian and South Asian Americans as outsiders to be feared and removed, they embolden those who want us dead.”
Earlier this month, the Swaminarayan Hindu Temple Vadthaldham in the Greater Cleveland area of Ohio was vandalised by unidentified people. In 2025, a Hindu temple in Spanish Fork, Utah, was fired upon, while four temples in California and three in New York were vandalised with hate slogans, PTI reported.
The Coalition of Hindus of North America also said there had been repeated calls to demolish the Hanuman statue in Sugar Land, Texas.
The alleged shooting plot in Illinois has prompted Indian officials and diaspora organisations to condemn anti-Hindu and anti-India hate and call for stronger security at Hindu places of worship.
With PTI Inputs
- Ends
