“Hindus, go back”: BAPS temple in the USA vandalised; second incident within a month

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in California was vandalized and desecrated on Thursday with 'anti-Hindu' Messages like “Hindus are declining.” This came just 10 days after a temple in New York was defaced and condemned by the Indian Consulate.
“Less than ten days after the desecration of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Melville, New York, our Mandir (Hindu place of worship) in Sacramento, California, was desecrated and defaced with hateful messages,” BAPS, a nonprofit “Hindu” organization, said in a statement.
“We continue to strongly condemn hatred, our grief has only deepened and our prayers for all, including those who carry hatred in their hearts, have grown stronger,” it added.

Ami Bera, who represents Sacramenta County in the U.S. House of Representatives, condemned the incident and called on people to stand up against intolerance.
There is no place for religious bigotry and hatred in #SacramentoCounty. I condemn this blatant act of vandalism in our community. We all need to stand up against intolerance and ensure that everyone in our community, regardless of their beliefs, feels safe and respected,” he said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, the Hindu American Foundation has written to the US Senate Judiciary Committee outlining the “history and alarming rise of hatred against Hindus, particularly against Hindu places of worship, citing recent data from both the FBI and the State of California.”
The incident was also condemned, with the statement saying: “We stand with @BAPS_PubAffairs and demand justice. It is unacceptable that Hindu temples are being targeted for hate speech against the Indian and Hindu American community.”
Earlier this month, New York Congressman Tom Suozzi condemned hate crimes following the vandalism of the BAPS Sri Swami Narayan Mandir in Melville, Long Island, which involved graffiti expressing “vile hatred and bigotry” toward the Hindu community.
“On Sunday night, vandals defaced the BAPS Sri Swami Narayan Mandir on Long Island with vile hatred and bigotry towards the Hindu community,” he said.