On Saturday (26th October) afternoon, masked extremists broke into two Hindu temples in Canberra city of Australia and carried out vandalism and theft.
According to a report by The Australia Today, a total of 4 men crashed their black Honda van into the front door of the Hindu temple & Cultural Centre in Florey. They swiftly stole 4 donation boxes, one weighing 200kg and containing thousands of dollars.
The attack, which lasted about 15 minutes, coincided with the annual Diwali Mela held at the Albert Hall in Australia’s capital city.
While speaking to The Australia Today, the Vice President of the Hindu temple Tarun Agasti stated, “We are deeply saddened and disturbed by the recent act of vandalism and theft that occurred at our temple over the weekend.”
“This senseless act of disrespect towards our place of worship and our community is disheartening. We want to assure our community that we are working closely with the local authorities to investigate this incident and bring those responsible to justice,” he added.
Tarun Agasti called for immediate action against the extremists for vandalising and looting the temple. “This act of vandalism not only affects our Hindu community but also undermines the values of respect, tolerance, and inclusivity that our diverse Canberra community holds dear,” he pointed out.
According to The Australia Today, the extremists thereafter drove to the Shri Vishnu Shiva Mandir in Canberra at about 2 pm. At that time, the caretaker and the priest of the Hindu temple had gone for lunch.
The 4 men broke open the front door using a crowbar and vandalised the reception area of the Mandir. They destroyed the Hundis (donation boxes) embedded in concrete using a sledgehammer. The extremists ran away with two safes containing cash.
They also breached the sanctum sanctorum of the Hindu place of worship, damaged cupboards containing clothing for deities and broke the Vasant Mandaoan. A Shivling was also destroyed by the same extremists.
While speaking to The Australia Today, President Thamo Sritharan, stated, “I would like to urge the newly elected government to provide the support needed to ensure the protection of our temples and community.”
The Honda van used by the 4 extremists, who vandalised the two Hindu temples, bore the number plate of Victoria. It remains unknown whether the number plate or the van were stolen. The Canberra police are now investigating both cases.
Temple vandalism in Australia
This is not the first time that a Hindu temple has come under attack in the country. In 2023, OpIndia reported 5 instances of attacks on Hindu temples in Australia. Khalistanis stormed the Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane and left hateful graffiti on the temple’s perimeter.
‘Hindustan Murdabad’ was written on the walls of the ISCKON temple in Melbourne’s Albert Park. The Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs (Victoria) was vandalised while anti-Indian graffiti was painted on the Swaminarayan Temple in Melbourne.
The BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Sydney was also defaced with “Declare Modi Terrorist (BBC)” graffiti. Khalistanis had also threatened Kali Mata Mandir in Melbourne against conducting bhajan program featuring ‘staunch Hindu’ singer Kanhiya Mittal
