Ritika
Melbourne: ‘Anti-social elements’ defaced a famous Hindu temple in Melbourne. This appears to be a hate crime incident. Anti-social elements painted anti-India graffiti at the entrance of the temple. According to reports, the incident took place at the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir located in Mill Park, a northern suburb of Melbourne. However, it is not yet known at what time this incident took place.
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Liberal MP for the Northern Metropolitan Region Evan Mulholland tweeted, “Thinking of the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple community after the defacement of the Mill Park Temple today. This incident is very disturbing for the peaceful Hindu community of Victoria.
Thinking of the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir community after the Mill Park temple was vandalised today. As I said to @TheAusToday “This vandalism is deeply distressing for Victoria’s peaceful Hindu community, especially at this holy time.”
— Evan Mulholland MP (@evmulholland) January 12, 2023
Meanwhile, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Australia issued a statement appealing for calm and said they were deeply saddened by the incident. He said in a statement on Thursday, “We are deeply saddened by anti-India graffiti at the entrance of BAPS Shree Swaminarayan Mandir by anti-social elements in Mill Park, Melbourne, Australia. Like all BAPS temples around the world, the BAPS temple at Mill Park is also an abode of peace, harmony, equality, selfless service and universal Hindu values.”
According to the statement, “…the spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha prays for peace and unity and appeals to all devotees and well-wishers to maintain peace.” It added, “We are grateful to local community organizations, along with the appropriate authorities, including the governments of Australia and India, for their continued support. The BAPS Temple in Australia is a symbol of a thriving multicultural society that nurtures Australian values of respect, friendship and tolerance.” (agency)
