On Wednesday (8th May), several people stormed into the Bharatiya Abhyas Mandali, a Hindu Temple on Watts Street in Curepe, Trinidad and Tobago and vandalised it. The Hindu temple desecrated by the attackers is administered by Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha. The attackers destroyed six idols. Reports say that the St Joseph Police and CID are investigating the incident.
Meanwhile, Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha said: “Six murtis sized four feet were destroyed, and smashed to pieces in the most violent manner. Once again a place of worship was attacked. Obviously, this is not the unholy work of a vagrant or a band of vagrants.”
SDMS General Secretary Vijay Maharaj described the attack on the Hindu temple as the “worst form of sacrilege committed”.
This, however, is not the first time that a Hindu temple has been vandalised. In December last year, the Munroe Road Temple was also attacked and donation boxes with cash were stolen along with gold jewellery placed on Hundi murtis.
On the 15th of October last year, the Kali Maa Temple in Carli Bay was desecrated, with acid reportedly poured on the floor and the Kali Maa murti. In the same month, some people vandalised the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) D’Abadie Maha Vishnu Mandir on Mausica Road.
In another incident of violence against Hindus and an attack on their temple in October last year, stones were hurled at the Pranavananda Ashram at Temple Street off Beaucarro Road in Freeport, when Hindus were performing Kanya Kumari pooja during Navratri festival. It was reported that some youths while were hurling objects from the temple’s rooftop. The attackers also damaged five vehicles.
This incident had sparked an outrage in Trinidad and Tobago with opposition MP Indra Singh calling it the “latest anti-Hindu attack in South Couva. Just two days before this attack, a popular Ramleela site, Tarouba Recreation Grounds was targeted. The attackers stole the tents and destroyed props created for use in the Ramleela production. In September last year, the Williamsville Hindu temple was vandalised.
On 28th September 2022, the Kali Mata temple in Carli Bay in Couva was vandalised and desecrated by unknown miscreants. The vandals had broken into the temple in the night and damaged the idol of Goddess Kali. They also smeared olive oil on the idol. The attackers wrote a verse from the Bible on the walls of the temple, which contains a warning against non-Christians. They wrote ‘Read Exodus 20:3-4’ in big red letters on the outer walls of the temple.
This attack came just a week after a Ganesh Mandir was vandalised in Penal on the night of 22 September 2022. It was found that a Ganesh murti was broken, clothes were pulled out from other murtis, and a cigarette butt was left behind.
