Hindu temple in California defaced with anti-India grafitti

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in California's Chino Hill was defaced with anti-India graffiti, less than five months after a similar incident was reported at another Hindu temple in the US state.

Confirming the incident, the official X handle of BAPS in the US said the "Hindu community stands steadfast against hate".

"Together with the community in Chino Hills and Southern California, we will never let hate take root. Our common humanity and faith will ensure that peace and compassion prevail," it added.

As per media reports, slogans like "Hindus go back" were sprayed on the walls of the temple.

Condemning the incident, the Coalition of Hindus in North America (CoHNA) said that it was "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".

While calling for an investigation, the organisation listed a number of similar incidents that have taken place in the US from 2022 till date.

Meanwhile, the Hindu American Foundation shared images of the defacement on X and called on FBI chief Kash Patel, Director of Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and the Chino Hills Police Department to "investigate this latest in a string of anti-Hindu hate crimes on our sacred spaces".

Anti-Hindu hate crimes in California have become the second-most reported form of religious bias, a report by the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) released in May last year said.

According to the report, among religiously motivated incidents, anti-Hindu bias ranked second, constituting 23.3 per cent. Anti-Jewish bias or anti-semitism was the highest at around 37 per cent. Anti-Muslim hate crimes rank third, comprising 14.6 per cent of religious bias incidents.