Hindu temple vandalised in Ohio, claim advocacy groups

A Hindu temple in an Ohio locality was vandalised in an alleged attack using bricks, two US advocacy groups claimed.

The Swaminarayan Hindu Temple Vadthaldham in the greater Cleveland suffered damage due to the shattering of windows, the Hindu American Foundation and the Coalition of Hindus of North America said.

The alleged attack took place on Friday afternoon when priests and some devotees were inside the temple, the two advocacy groups said. The attack comes at a time when the Indian-American community in the state was preparing to celebrate Hindu Heritage Month with the Navaratri festival in less than 10 days.

“This is real now. Online hate has morphed into a real-world attack on a Hindu temple. Review the video & catch the perpetrator,” Suhag Shukla, Executive Director, Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said in a post on X.

The HAF said the possible hate crime comes at a time of unprecedented hate and vitriol directed at the Hindu American community.

“We also call on our nation’s elected leaders & Government agencies to publicly and unequivocally condemn hateful rhetoric against Indian and Hindu American communities,” the HAF said. The Coalition of Hindus of North America urged Richmond Heights Mayor Kim Thomas, along with municipal authorities, to publicly condemn the attack and sought prompt action from law enforcement agencies. “We call upon Mayor.

Kim Thomas and @RichmondHtsOH to condemn such bigotry and @PoliceRichmond to take swift action against the perpetrator,” the CoHNA said.