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Ohio Hindu temple attacked with bricks on Friday
The Indian Express··3 Oct
A Hindu temple in Richmond Heights, Ohio, was attacked with bricks on Friday afternoon, shattering windows while priests and devotees were inside, Hindu advocacy groups said. The Hindu American Foundation said the Shree Swaminarayan Vadtal Dham Mandir was hit around 1:30 pm local time and sustained significant damage. No suspect or motive had been publicly confirmed.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Devotees at the Richmond Heights mandir can expect a police review of available surveillance footage cited by HAF.
- Hindu organisations say they are alerting the FBI and Justice Department Civil Rights Division about the attack.
- Ohio residents marking Hindu Heritage Month and upcoming Navratri face a local security alert at this site.
What's Happening
- CoHNA said bricks were thrown while priests and some devotees were inside, and windows were shattered.
- HAF executive director Suhag Shukla called for the footage to be reviewed and the perpetrator identified.
- Authorities had not publicly named a suspect or established a motive at the time of reporting.
What Advocacy Groups Are Saying
- HAF described the incident as a possible hate crime and criticised rhetoric aimed at Hindu and Indian-American communities.
- CoHNA called the attack an act of Hinduphobia but did not provide evidence of a religious motive.
- CoHNA has documented earlier vandalism at Hindu temples in New York, California and elsewhere, without linking this case.
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