SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Diya TV) — A BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Sacramento, California, was vandalized late Wednesday with anti-Hindu graffiti, marking the second such attack on a BAPS temple in the US within 10 days. The hateful spray paints used by the vandals read: “Hindus go back.”
This is in the aftermath of a similar vandalism act at the BAPS Mandir in Melville, New York on September 17. The community responded by organizing a prayer gathering at the Sacramento temple, focusing on peace, unity, and harmony taught by His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj.
Authorities, including the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and the Rancho Cordova Police, are investigating the case as a hate crime. Congressman Ami Bera are among those who are calling for the FBI to investigate the matter. Bera termed the act of vandalism “reprehensible”, saying on X, “There is no place for religious bigotry and hatred in Sacramento County.”
The Sacramento vandalism is a part of a worrisome wave of hate crimes against the Hindu communities in America where the temples have been most often targeted.
BAPS runs more than 100 temples in North America and expressed sadness over the incidents and sought peace and unity through prayers.