In a possible hate crime, unidentified men destroyed a handcrafted statue of Gandhi with a hammer at the Tulsi temple in the south Richmond Hill in Queens for the second time in a month, media reports said on Friday.
According to cbsnews.com, surveillance video shows a man thrashing a Gandhi statue with a hammer on Tuesday, then beheading it and knocking it down.
The report said that minutes later, a group of six people stomp on it and take turns hitting the statue with hammers before it can be taken down.
The consulate said in a statement that it “strongly condemns the vandalization of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi outside a temple in Queens, New York.” “We have taken up this matter with the US authorities and called for a thorough investigation so that those responsible for this heinous act can be arrested. To be held responsible.”
The word “Dog” was spray painted both in front of the temple and on the bottom of the block.
Media reports said the New York Police Department is investigating both incidents as possible hate crimes.
According to police, the suspects fled the scene in two cars, a white Mercedes Benz and a dark colored car, possibly a Toyota Camry, possibly used as a dress cab.
“We are deeply saddened to learn about the vandalism at Tulsi temple last night. This is not the first time something like this has happened, and it must stop. We must work together to send a clear message that no one is towards any religion. Hate crimes will not be tolerated,” the Cityline Ozone Park Civilian Patrol (COPCP) tweeted on Wednesday.
We are deeply saddened by the news of the demolition of Tulsi Temple last night. This is not the first time… https://t.co/8rretCSOz0
— Cityline Ozone Park Civilian Patrol (@COPCP2020) 1660684555000
It said that the COPCP has increased its presence in the Tulsi temple.
Lakhram Maharaj, Founder Shri Tulsi Mandir, the report was quoted as saying that “it is very painful to see them follow us like this”. Maharaj, who found the Gandhi statue in rubble on Wednesday morning, said many people in the community are now afraid to visit the temple.
“I can’t show the congregation that I’m worried because if I do, how will they stay strong,” he is quoted as saying in the report. The report said the temple authorities could not afford to replace the Gandhi statue, as it was handcrafted and cost around US$4,000.
Maharaj said, “I want to know why he did this.”
Assembly member Jennifer Rajkumar was also quoted in the report as saying that when Gandhi’s statue was vandalized, which actually “blown up in front of all our beliefs and it is very disturbing for the community”.
“Hindu hatred is on the rise,” said the prince, with donors offering to pay for a replacement. “It is outrageous. Gandhi is a symbol of peace around the world.”
In a statement, the member of the Assembly – the first Hindu-American elected official in New York state – called for the perpetrators to be “rapidly arrested, charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“We always knew that defeating hatred would not be accomplished in a day, a week or even a year. We are committed to this fight for a long time, and will use the Hindu principles of ahimsa (non-violence) and satyagraha. Truth ) who guided Gandhi himself and later the great American civil rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr.
This is not the first time that a Gandhi statue has been vandalized in America.
Investigating officials said that the same statue of Gandhi was vandalized two weeks ago.
In February this year, an eight-feet tall Gandhi statue in Manhattan’s Union Square was vandalized by unidentified persons.
In December 2020, pro-Khalistani supporters damaged a Gandhi statue in Washington, DC in front of the Indian embassy.
The then White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, described the incident as “horrific”.
(with agency input)