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String of hate crimes target Hindu temples in San Francisco Bay Area
The latest attack took place at the Sherawali Temple, believed to be the largest temple in the Bay Area devoted to Goddess Durga.
The Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Newark, California was spray-painted with anti-Modi graffiti. Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime. / Purnima Nath photo via Facebook
NEWARK, California — Three Hindu temples in the San Francisco Bay Area have been the targets for possible hate crimes over the past two weeks.
In the latest incident, the Vijay’s Sherawali Temple in Hayward was hit with graffiti on Christmas Day. In an interview with New India Abroad, Roniel Vijay Chand — who built the temple in 2021, as a tribute to his late father — said he was heartbroken to see the graffiti. “We spent so much time and effort to build this beautiful place. Why were we targeted with so much hate?”
Vandals sprayed the hand-painted entrance sign with the phrases: “Khalistan Zindabad,” and “Modi is a Terrorist,” as verified in photos.
“We are a non-violent peaceful community,” said Chand, noting that the temple’s congregants are comprised mostly of Indian immigrants from Fiji. The Sherawali Temple is believed to be the largest temple in the Bay Area devoted to Goddess Durga.
Chand said he initially called Hayward Police, but was told that the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department would handle the case, as the temple sits on an unincorporated portion of Hayward. As of late Jan. 4 evening, neither the Sheriff’s Department nor Hayward Police have come out to investigate the incident. Chand said he is baffled by law enforcement’s non-response, despite his daily persistence.
“I want police to take serious action to protect us. These vandals want people to be afraid to come to temple,” he said. Chand said he would support an active dialogue between himself and leaders of the Khalistani movement. “We need to understand each other,” said the former techie, who worked at Adobe, before quitting his job to devote himself full time to the temple.
The attack on the Hayward Temple comes on the heels of a similar incident Dec. 22 at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple in nearby Newark. In that attack, vandals spray painted “F*&k Mody Jindabad,” “Modi is Terrorist,” and “Shaheed (Martyr) Bhindrawala,” a possible reference to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who is credited with founding the movement for Khalistan.
The hand-painted sign at the entrance to Vijay's Sherawali Temple in Hayward, California was sprayed with pro-Khalistani graffiti. / Photo courtesy of Roniel ChandNewark Police Department Captain Jonathan Arguello told New India Abroad the incident is still under active investigation, but no arrests have yet been made.
Arguello said the incident is being investigated as a hate crime. “This is believed to be a targeted attack at a house of worship where religious activities are regularly held,” he said.
The police captain said he could not confirm whether Khalistanis were involved in the vandalism. He urged people with information about the crime to contact Newark Police Investigations Unit Detective Sergeant Yama Homayoun at 510.578.4920 or via email at Yama.Homayoun@newark.org.
The US Justice Department is also investigating this incident.
Meanwhile, Ramya Ramakrishnan, national community outreach director for the Hindu American Foundation, told New India Abroad a third incident had taken place at the Shiva Durga Temple in Santa Clara. According to Ramakrishnan, at least two people broke into the temple late night, and stole all of the money in the donation box, at least one month’s worth of donations. Management found out about the robbery the following day.
“This is three crimes in three weeks. There is a lot of fear and apprehension in our community; it has made us fearful of going to temple,” said Ramakrishnan. She stressed the need for temples to better protect themselves with security cameras and motion sensors.
“I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 24 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Ramakrishnan.
Samir Kalra, managing director of the Hindu American Foundation, told New India Abroad that many Sikh American leaders have stepped up to denounce the attacks. “We want to make the distinction that this is the work of Khalistanis, not Sikhs at large.”
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