BAPS Melville Mandir Vandalized with Anti-India Graffiti, Community Rallies for Peace

Feature and Cover BAPS Melville Mandir Vandalized with Anti India Graffiti Community Rallies for Peace

Since 2016, the BAPS Melville Mandir has served as a peaceful gathering place for Long Island’s growing Hindu community. This peace was disrupted early on Monday, September 16, when vandals defaced the temple with graffiti. The hateful messages included “Hindustan Murdabad,” meaning “Death to India,” along with vulgar remarks about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, such as “F*ck Modi” and “Modi is a terrorist.” Modi is scheduled to visit the area this Sunday.

The Suffolk County Police’s hate crimes unit reported that the messages were spray-painted between 7 p.m. on Sunday and 6:30 a.m. Monday. Girish Patel, national coordinator for BAPS Public Affairs, expressed shock at the attack, saying, “We strongly promote peace, harmony, equality, selfless service, and promote universal values of Hindus… That something like this would happen is a direct way of saying, ‘I hate Hindus.’”

The Indian Consulate General has contacted BAPS leadership, which represents the largest Hindu sect in the United States, and has urged U.S. authorities to act swiftly. In a statement, the Consulate stressed the need for “prompt action against the perpetrators of this heinous act.”

On Monday, local lawmakers, clergy from surrounding synagogues, churches, and mosques, and community members gathered outside the temple to offer prayers and support. The BAPS Public Affairs team released a statement appealing for peace, saying, “We strongly condemn these acts and pray for peace amongst all communities. We also offer our deepest prayers for those who perpetrated this crime to be released of their hatred and to see our common humanity.”

This vandalism incident adds to a disturbing pattern of similar attacks on Hindu temples across North America in recent years. From California to New York, mandirs have been targeted, with some incidents involving damage to statues of prominent Hindu figures, such as Mahatma Gandhi. In July, a BAPS mandir in Edmonton, Canada, was also defaced.

Suhag Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, is working to help law enforcement recognize and address hate crimes against Hindus. Shukla noted that these attacks often share a common rhetoric in their graffiti—anti-Indian government and anti-Modi sentiments. She explained that this rhetoric sometimes aligns with the Khalistan movement, an extremist group advocating for a separate Sikh state in Punjab, India.

“At a very superficial level, [law enforcement is] just seeing, you know, one set of Indians attacking another,” Shukla explained. “But let’s look at the target. If there is a group that is advocating for a separate state in the Indian subcontinent, why are they attacking Hindu temples? What does BAPS have to do with a separate theocratic state?”

Shukla’s organization is in constant communication with Hindu community members to document incidents of vandalism, at least five of which have occurred in the past year. She finds this trend alarming and is working to build stronger relationships between temples and law enforcement. Her hope is that these relationships can be strengthened before a crisis rather than after.

“BAPS being one of the largest and most visible Hindu institutions has become essentially the front line, because they’re so well known,” Shukla added. Her organization provides mandirs with safety and security information, helping ensure that temples can protect their communities. “Now, there’s far greater awareness about the responsibilities that these mandirs have to their members.”

Girish Patel, who has lived in Nassau County for years, has been involved with the Melville mandir since its planning stages more than 20 years ago. He has attended the temple regularly for almost a decade. Patel admitted that, although he had heard about other temples being vandalized, he “never expected anything like this to happen” in his quiet town.

“I was just thinking, ‘Did we say something or do something wrong that would have triggered this?’” Patel reflected. “But nothing had happened, so we were completely clueless. But the point is, that it was an attack on Hindus.”

Patel agrees with Shukla that the attack on the BAPS mandir is significant, especially since there are several Hindu temples on Long Island that are geographically closer to the venue where Prime Minister Modi will be appearing on Sunday.

Patel believes that BAPS’ strong international presence and its commitment to community service make it a target, but it also fosters solidarity with people from various faiths and backgrounds. The temple has received support from numerous individuals and groups, including local, state, and federal officials, as well as representatives from Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Hindu congregations.

U.S. Representatives Ro Khanna and Shri Thanedar both expressed concerns about the attack on the temple on X (formerly Twitter). Congressman Nick LaLota, who represents Long Island, also extended his support to the BAPS community. LaLota had recently attended an event at New Jersey’s BAPS Robbinsville Mandir, the largest Hindu temple in the United States.

Lenin Joshi, a volunteer at the Robbinsville mandir, emphasized the sense of anxiety and fear that incidents like this can create for worshippers. “While we continuously take measures to safeguard our places of worship and ensure a secure environment, incidents like this are deeply concerning,” Joshi said. “It creates anxiety and fear among devotees. No one should be afraid to visit a place of worship in the United States.”

The Long Island temple is now working closely with Suffolk County police, who have promised to increase patrols and surveillance in the area. They will be particularly vigilant during services this upcoming weekend, which typically attract a large number of worshippers.

As the community braces itself for Prime Minister Modi’s visit, the BAPS Melville Mandir is focusing on healing and safety. The messages of hate may have momentarily shaken this place of peace, but the overwhelming support from the community and local leaders stands as a powerful reminder of unity and resilience.

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