Indian Americans in US Congress call for increase in temple attacks, seek briefings

Five Indian-origin members of the US Congress have sought briefings from the US Justice Department amid concerns over an “alarming” rise in temple vandalism across the country. Lawmakers are demanding information on the status of investigations into these crimes and coordination between local agencies, the FBI and civil rights divisions.

Congress members pointed out that some temples were defaced with pro-Khalistan and anti-India graffiti.

“Attacks on temples from New York to California have heightened collective anxiety among Indian Americans,” the members of Congress said in a joint letter.

The letter was sent to the Ministry of Justice by Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Shri Thanedar and Amy Bera.

“Leaders in these affected communities say it is unfortunate that no suspects have been identified, resulting in many people continuing to live in fear and intimidation. Our communities remain concerned about the coordination of law enforcement against these bias-motivated crimes,” They want to know whether the Indian-American leaders said in their letter that there is appropriate federal oversight in place to ensure equal protection under the law.

Members of Congress further emphasized that the number of incidents and “the close proximity of the incidents” raise “troubling questions about the connections and the intentions behind them.”

In January, a temple in Hayward, California, was vandalized with pro-Khalistan graffiti. The incident comes weeks after similar graffiti was found at another temple in Newark.

The letter further states: “In a community that is often marginalized or ignored, it takes relatively few coordinated acts of hate to instill fear, and we must work together to combat the targeting of all religious, ethnic, racial and cultural minorities in the United States. Group hatred.”