A Hindu temple was vandalised in Ohio, the United States (US), leaving the building damaged, said several Hindu advocacy groups on Saturday. The Swaminarayan Hindu Temple Vadthaldham was located in the greater Cleveland locality of Ohio.
According to the groups, the incident happened on Friday afternoon when several people, including priests and devotees, were inside the temple. The windows of the temple were shattered and bricks were thrown at the temple; however, no one was injured in the incident.
“This is real now. Online hate has morphed into a real-world attack on a Hindu temple. Review the video & catch the perpetrator,” Suhag Shukla, Executive Director, Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said in a post on X. “We also call on our nation’s elected leaders & government agencies to publicly and unequivocally condemn hateful rhetoric against Indian and Hindu American communities.”
‘Incident of Hinduphobia’
The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) has described the attack as “fresh incident of Hinduphobia”, urging the police to take appropriate action in the matter and requesting Mayor Kim Thomas to condemn “such bigotry”.
“This comes as Hindus in Ohio begin celebrating Hindu Heritage Month and honor the Divine Feminine through Navratri in less than 10 days,” the CoHNA said on X.
More to follow…
