Indian Australians demand justice...
The Indian community in Australia condemned the vandalism of Hindu temples in various parts of the country and demanded harsh punishment for those responsible. Earlier this year, several Hindu temples in various parts of Australia were vandalized, allegedly by supporters of Khalistan.
"I expect the Government to take appropriate actions against this. We are Hindus and in our culture, the meaning of Hinduism is a way of life and we respect every religion," said an Indian in Sydney while speaking to ANI. Another person also said that government consider itself multi-cultural and hence should show support for their community and catch the miscreants.
Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs, Australia, was vandalized with anti-Hindu graffiti in January. The act was discovered on January 16 after temple devotees came for 'darshan' during the three-day "Thai Pongal" festival, which was celebrated by Australia's Tamil Hindu community, according to The Australia Today.
On the evening of January 15, 2023, supporters of Khalistan attempted to rally support for their referendum through a car rally in Melbourne. According to The Australia Today, they failed miserably, as less than 200 people gathered from a community of nearly 60,000 people in Melbourne.
On January 12, a week before the above incident, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Australia's Mill Park was defaced with anti-India and anti-Hindu graffiti. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in Melbourne, also known as the Hare Krishna Temple was discovered to be vandalized by anti-India graffiti on its walls.
Later, India condemned the vandalism of Hindu temples in Australia, stating that the matter had been raised with the Australian government in Canberra and that an expeditious investigation into the perpetrators had been requested.
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