‘We condemn it, seek action’: India on vandalisation of Hindu temple in Canada

The temple was vandalised with anti-Hindu and anti-India graffiti, with the incident being described by local police as a “hate-motivated incident”.

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday condemned the vandalisation of a Hindu temple in Canada’s Ontario province and called for action by Canadian authorities against the perpetrators.

The Windsor Police released a video footage of a man vandalising the temple in what was described by the police as ”hate-motivated graffiti”. (Screengrab/WindsorPolice)

Police in Windsor city of Ontario said on Wednesday that an investigation had been launched into the vandalisation of the BAPS Swaminarayan temple and authorities are looking for two suspects. The Indian high commission in Ottawa too condemned the incident.

The temple was vandalised by unknown people with anti-Hindu and anti-India graffiti, with the incident being described by local police as a “hate-motivated incident”.

“This is a very unfortunate incident and we condemn it. This issue has been taken up with Canadian authorities, with the same request that we made on earlier occasions – please catch the perpetrators...please try to ensure that this does not happen again,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a media briefing.

“I hope Canadian authorities are able to take action on those lines,” he added.

In January, Gauri Shankar temple in Brampton was similarly vandalised, triggering outrage within the Indian community. At least three acts of such vandalism were recorded in Canada last year.

Bagchi said there had also been incidents of vandalism at India’s diplomatic premises in London and a few other other places, and New Delhi had made it clear to host governments that it expects them to protect the premises and ensure the safety of personnel. The Indian side wants action to be taken rather than assurances, he said.

“We will continue to insist that action is taken against the perpetratorss, they are identified [and] prosecuted and also...measures [are taken] to prevent the recurrence,” Bagchi said.