A Hindu temple in California, US, has been defaced with pro-Khalistani graffiti, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said on Friday.
"Another Bay Area Hindu temple attacked with pro-Khalistan graffiti. The Vijay's Sherawali Temple in Hayward, CA sustained a copycat defacement just two weeks after the Swaminarayan Mandir attack and one week after a theft at the Shiv Durga temple in the same area. HAF is in touch with temple leaders and in contact with the police," HAF wrote on X (formerly Twitter), along with sharing the photo of the defaced temple board.
Pro-Khalisani supporters deface Hindu Temple Vijay's Sherawali Temple in Hayward, California on 5 January
© Photo : Twitter
On 23 December, a similar incident took place in Newark, California. Pro-Khalistani supporters vandalised the Swaminarayan temple and wrote hateful slogans against India and Narendra Modi.
Anti-India Slogans Were Written on Walls of Hindu Temple in California
© Photo : Twitter/@HinduAmerican
Earlier, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also voiced his concern about the recent temple vandalism in Western countries, emphasising the need to prevent extremists and separatists from gaining ground.
"I have seen it. Extremists, separatists and such forces should not be given space. Our Consulate there complained to the government and the police and an inquiry is underway," Jaishankar said.
India-Canada Row Over Pro-Khalistan Extremists
The US and Canada have become a haven for extremists and Nazis. They are even trying to use allegations of alleged assassination plots against pro-Khalistan extremists to put pressure on India.
For example, the US has accused India of involvement in an alleged plot to assassinate one of the leaders of the Khalistan movement, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who has been declared a terrorist by India.
Diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Ottawa have soured in recent months, especially after pro-Khalistan groups threatened Indian diplomats in Canada in 2023. Khalistani supporters have also attacked the Indian embassy in Ottawa, painted anti-India graffiti on Hindu places of worship and raised anti-India slogans.
However, relations between the two countries took a nosedive in September 2023 after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused 'agents of the Indian government' of carrying out the killing of banned Khalistani militant Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India called Canada's allegations absurd and politically motivated.