Mahatma Gandhi statue outside Hindu temple in New York vandalised

In a possible hate crime a group of six unidentified persons destroyed a handcrafted statue of Mahatma Gandhi with a sledgehammer at a Hindu temple here after vandalising it earlier this monthIndia on Friday strongly condemned the despicable action and took up the matter with the US authorities to ensure those responsible for the act are held accountableThe New York City Police Department in a statement to PTI said it was reported to police on August 16 at approximately 0130 hours that a group of six unidentified male individuals damaged and vandalised a religious statue with a sledge hammer in front of Tulsi Mandir located at 10326 111 StreetThe male individuals then fled toward Liberty Avenue and entered two vehicles a white Mercedes Benz and a dark colour possibly a Toyota Camry with possible taxilivery sticker on the back passenger window it said adding that the miscreants were approximately aged between 25 to 30 yearsThe NYPD has asked for the publics assistance in ascertaining the whereabouts of the miscreants and urged anyone with information related to the incident to call its Crime Stoppers Hotline or submit their tips at Crime Stoppers websiteNew York State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar in a statement on Thursday said In an act outraging the entire Queens community and peaceloving people worldwide the statue of Mahatma Gandhi outside Shri Tulsi Mandir was vandalised for a second timeThis time the statue was totally destroyed and graffitied with obscene names Vandals also graffitied the mandir grounds and 111th Street asphalt the IndianAmerican lawmaker saidAlso Read Lifesized Mahatma Gandhi statue vandalised in New YorkSurveillance video shows a person thrashing a statue of Gandhi with a sledgehammer on Tuesday before smashing the head off and toppling it over according to cbsnewscomMinutes later a group of six stomp on it and take turns hammering the statue before taking off it saidTo see them coming after us like this is very painful Lakhram Maharaj the founder of Shri Tulsi Mandir situated in South Richmond Hill was quoted as saying in the reportMaharaj discovered the Gandhi statue was reduced to rubble on Wednesday morningThe words dog and Gandpi dog were spray painted both in front of the temple and down the blockMaharaj says many in the community are now afraid to go to the templeI cannot show the congregation that I am worried because if I show them that Im worrying and Im not strong how will they be strong the report quoted him as saying The temple authorities cannot afford to replace the Gandhi statue because it was handcrafted and cost about USD 4000 the report saidI want to know why they did it Maharaj saidThe same Gandhi statue was vandalised two weeks ago investigating officials saidWhen the Gandhi statue was vandalised that really flew in the face of all of our beliefs and its very disturbing for the community said Rajkumar the first South Asian woman to be elected to the New York State AssemblyRajkumar who represents the Queens area in the statement said she has spoken with Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell and 106th Precinct Commanding Officer Captain Jerome Bacchi and they are taking this incident seriously and investigating it as a possible hate crimeI call for the perpetrators to be apprehended swiftly charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law she saidSince the targeting of the Gandhi statue and the Hindu Temple Rajkumar said she has received an outpouring of support not just in Queens but from people all around the worldI have spoken with government leaders across the country All are committed to redoubling our efforts to combat antiHindu hate We always knew that defeating hate would not be accomplished in one day one week or even one year We are committed to this fight for the long term and will use the Hindu principles of ahimsa nonviolence and satyagraha soul force that guided Gandhi himself and later the great American civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr she saidMeanwhile the Consulate General of India in New York in a statement on Friday said it strongly condemns the vandalisation of the Mahatma Gandhi statue outside a temple in Queens New York We have taken up the matter with US authorities seeking thorough investigation so that those responsible for such despicable action are held accountableNon profit organisation Cityline Ozone Park Civilian Patrol said it is deeply saddened to learn of the vandalism at the Tulsi MandirThis is not the first time something like this has happened and it must stop We must work together to send a clear message that hate crimes towards any religion will not be tolerated it saidCondemning the cowardly act Ankur Vaidya Chairman of diaspora organisation Federation of Indian Associations FIA said We sincerely urge the Mayors office and the NYPD to investigate this malicious act as a hate crime and bring these criminals to justice It is clear that the ones that perpetuate these sorts of vandalisms will have the will and intention to do more malice to create negative sensationalismThe incident is an act of hate and aggression and has repeated itself more times this year than in the history of the city previously he saidIn February an 8foothigh Gandhi statue located in Manhattans Union Square was defaced by unknown personsIn December 2020 Khalistanisupporters had desecrated a Gandhi statue in Washington DC in front of the Indian EmbassyThe then White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany had termed the incident as terribleThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever