Khalistani miscreants desecrate ISKCON temple in Australia
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 
22 January, 2023
Case Summary
On January 23 morning, the Hare Krishna temple located at Albert Park in Melbourne city of Australia was attacked and desecrated by unidentified miscreants. The temple, which has served as the centre of the Bhakti Yoga movement in Melbourne, is run by the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). In visuals shared on social media, it could be seen that the temple walls were defaced with anti-India slogans of ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ and ‘Hindustan Murdabad.’ The miscreants had also hailed slain Khalistani terrorist, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, as a martyr.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is born out of animosity towards the faith, of which, the Temple is a central tenet. Any manner of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. In this case, the Khalistani perpetrators desecrated a Hindu temple with anti-India and pro-Khalistan graffiti. While it can be said that since the graffiti was against the country, the crime should not be documented in the Hindu hate tracker. However, the truth remains that the attack on Hindu temples is in itself reflective of the hostility Khalistani separatists nurture against Hindus. It is pertinent to note that Khalistani separatists harboured specific animosity towards Hindus and their faith and also view India as a Hindu collectivity. The very basis of their demands for a separate country carved out of India is that India is a Hindu collectivity and the Sikh religious identity is separate from it, much like Islam. Therefore, by the Khalistanis, anti-India slogans are also a manifestation of anti-Hindu sentiments of the Khalistanis and therefore, constitutes a hate crime.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Sikh Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
