Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs, Australia, vandalised with anti-Hindu graffiti. Screengrab/News18.
Melbourne: Another iconic Hindu temple has been vandalised in Australia allegedly by Khalistan supporters with anti-India and anti-Hindu graffiti. The vandalism at historic Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs comes less than a week after walls of BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Mill Park were smeared with hate messages against Hindus and India.
Hindu temple vandalised in Australia
The latest attack of vandalism came to notice on 16 January when the devotees thronged to the temple for ‘darshan’ and celebrate three-day long “Thai Pongal” festival which is being celebrated by the Tamil Hindu community.
A report by The Australia Today quoted Hindu Council of Australia’s Victoria chapter President Makrand Bhagwat saying: “I can’t tell you how upset I am for witnessing a second Hindu Temple vandalised for Khalistan propaganda.”
Melbourne Hindu community member Sachin Mahate said, “If these Khalistan supporters have the courage they should go and draw graffiti on the Victorian Parliament building rather than target peaceful Hindu communities religious places.”
The attack comes just hours after the Khalistan supporters, on the evening of 15 January, tried to garner support for their referendum through a car rally in Melbourne.
However, less than two hundred people gathered out of an almost 60,000-strong Melbourne community.
Second attack in a week
The attack Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs comes within days after Khalistan supporters on 12 January wrote praises on the walls of BAPS Swaminarayan Temple of an Indian terrorist Bhindrawala responsible for killing more than twenty thousand Hindus and Sikhs as a ‘Martyr’.
Walls of the temple were painted with “Hindu-stan Murdabad” which means death to Hindu-place.
According to a report by The Australia Today, the Khalistani goons recorded a video of their despicable act of vandalising the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir. It also said the video was shared on social media claiming it to be their “brave act”.
Bhagwat had said: “Any kind of hatred and vandalism against places of worship is not acceptable and we condemn it.”
“We will definitely raise this matter with the Victorian Multicultural Commission and the Multicultural Minister of Victoria because the death threat to Hindus is a very serious matter as the community is in fear of these Khalistan supporters,” Bhagwat added.
Eye witnesses account
The Australia Today reported Usha Senthilnathan, a long-time devotee to the temple, saying: “We are a Tamil minority group in Australia, a lot of us came as refugees to escape the religious persecution. This is my place of worship and it’s not acceptable to me that these Khalistan supporters are vandalising it with their hate messages without any fear.”
She even urged Premier Dan Andrews and Victoria Police to take stringent action against those trying to scare the Victorian Hindu community.
Notably, the Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple at Carrum Downs is one of the oldest temples in Victoria.
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