The ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah—a renowned pilgrimage site famous for its annual Festivals—was the target of a suspected hate crime this week after assailants fired more than two dozen rounds into the sacred complex during several nighttime attacks.
Multiple Rounds, Major Damage
Between late June 29 and July 1, local police report that 20–30 bullets shattered windows, pockmarked exterior walls, and damaged the temple’s hand-carved stone arches and surrounding grounds.
According to temple authorities, the gunfire rang out while worshippers were inside, forcing panicked devotees to take cover and interrupting evening prayers. Preliminary estimates put repair costs in the tens of thousands of dollars, and investigators say the pattern of repeated, deliberate shots strongly suggests a targeted, anti-religious motive.
India’s Consulate Condemns Attack
The Indian Consulate General in San Francisco immediately denounced the violence and called on U.S. authorities to bring the perpetrators to account.
In a statement posted on X, the Consulate declared, “We strongly condemn the recent firing incident at the ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Krishna temple in Spanish Fork, Utah.”
“The Consulate extends full support to all the devotees and the community and urges the local authorities to take prompt action to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
A Pattern of Anti-Hindu Incidents
This assault follows a troubling string of attacks on Hindu places of worship across the United States. In March, vandals desecrated the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) temple in Chino Hills, California—just days before a planned “Khalistani referendum” event in nearby Los Angeles.
Temple officials and the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) linked that defacement—including spray-painted slogans and broken windows—to rising anti-Hindu sentiment around organised Khalistani lobbying efforts.
In late 2024, similar vandalism targeted the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Sacramento, and an earlier incident struck a BAPS temple in New York. Graffiti reading “Hindus go back” was discovered at multiple sites, leaving congregations shaken but determined to persevere.
CoHNA has repeatedly called for comprehensive investigations, warning that such attacks “underscore a dangerous escalation of hate toward America’s Hindu community.”
Community Resilience and Calls for Protection
Despite these provocations, local Hindu leaders have emphasised unity and resolve. At a morning gathering today, temple president Sunita Desai urged congregants to remain peaceful but vigilant:
“Our faith has endured centuries of hardship. We will repair our temple, we will continue our prayers, and we will not be cowed by hate.”
Spanish Fork police have increased patrols around all religious institutions and urged anyone with information to contact the Utah Bureau of Investigation tip line.
As the global ISKCON network rallies financial and moral support for the damaged temple, the Indian government’s public solidarity and the swift outreach of U.S. law enforcement highlight the urgent need to protect religious minorities. With the Festivals just weeks away, temple authorities are fast-tracking repairs to ensure that celebrations of colour, music and communal harmony can proceed uninterrupted.
This latest attack serves as a stark reminder that religious tolerance cannot be taken for granted—even in communities long celebrated for their diversity—and that law enforcement and political leaders on both sides of the Pacific must work in concert to safeguard places of worship from hate-fueled violence.
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