Another Hindu temple has been vandalized in Australia allegedly by Khalistani supporters, with India hate rant scribbled on walls once again. This is the third such attack on Hindu temples in the country in at least two weeks.
The walls of the temple have been smeared with anti-India slogans like “Hindustan Murdabad”, “Khalistan Zindabad.” Hate rant against Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also scribbled on the walls. The temple is located in Melbourne’s Albert Park.
Khalistan supporters have also written praises of a terrorist Bhindrawala responsible for killing more than 20,000 Hindus and Sikhs. They have termed him as a ‘Martyr’. Similar slogans were written on temple walls in the earlier incidents as well.
Earlier, Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs and BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Mill Park were smeared with hate messages against Hindus and India. The spate of attacks on Hindu temples had triggered widespread concerns with no end to Hinduphobia in the country.
After the attacks, the Australian High Commissioner to India had expressed shock over the incidents and stressed that the authorities were investigating the incident. He had said that “Australia is a proud, multicultural country,” adding that the vandalism of two Hindu temples in Melbourne had shocked them. “Our strong support for freedom of expression does not include hate speech or violence,” he added.
The Indian and Australian governments had discussed the matter, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said. “We strongly condemned these actions,” he said, adding, the Indian Consulate General in Melbourne has raised the issue with local police.
