Extremism shouldn’t get space: EAM after temple defaced in California

New Delhi, December 23

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday condemned the defacing of SMVS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir at Newark in California, US, and also reiterated that Canada must not give space for separatists and anti-India elements to operate with impunity.

“I have seen the news. As you know, we are concerned about this. Extremism and separatist forces outside India should not get space. Our consulate has lodged a complaint with the US Government and the police there over whatever happened, and I believe the matter is being inquired,” said Jaishankar on the margins of the third convocation of Rashtriya Raksha University in Gandhinagar, which has one of the largest temples of this chain.

The police department in Newark, California, have said that around 8.35 am on Friday, they received a report of graffiti at Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. According to images posted on social media, word ‘Khalistan’ was spray-painted on a signpost outside the temple while on the wall, another graffiti in black paint hailed Bhindranwale as a martyr.

Earlier in the day, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco also condemned the defacing of the temple with “anti-India graffiti”.

“The incident has hurt the sentiments of the Indian community. We have pressed for quick investigation and prompt action against the vandals by the US authorities,” it added.

US condemns act

The US State Department’s South and Central Asian Bureau has also condemned the defacing of the temple. “We welcome efforts by the Newark police department to ensure that those responsible are held accountable,” said a bureau post on X.