San Francisco

India on Friday (Sep 27) strongly deplored the vandalism of a Hindu temple of BAPS in the US state of California, where the graffiti 'Hindus go back' was painted earlier this week.

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In a post on its X handle, the Consulate General of India, San Francisco, said it "strongly deplores the act of vandalism" which took place on the night of 24 September at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Sacramento, California.  

Watch: Temple Vandalised In US With Anti-Hindu Messages, Water Supply Cut

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The consulate has taken up the matter with local authorities "to take immediate action against those responsible", it added.

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The temple of BAPS, or Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, was vandalised after it criticised anti-Hindu sentiments.

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Besides the 'Hindus go back' message, the vandals also wrote expletives addressed at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

In a post on X, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said the graffiti was spray-painted on the temple building by the vandals who also damanged some water pipes.

Also read: 'Hindumisia on rise in the US': Second BAPS temple vandalised in a month with anti-Hindu messages

“Detectives from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Gang Suppression Unit, which investigates hate crimes in Sacramento County, responded to the scene and began their investigation. Allied State and Federal law enforcement agencies were also notified of the incident and will assist with the investigation,” it said.

Also Read: Hindu temples in Bangladesh threatened to pay $4200 for celebrating Durga Puja

In the recent past, several BAPS temples in the US and Canada have been targeted in a similar manner.

Ahead of Modi's recent visit to the US, the BAPS temple in New York's Melville was painted with expletives on September 17. 

Another BAPS temple in Edmonton, Canada was desecrated in July.

(With inputs from agencies)