Australian Police Probing ‘Anti-India Graffiti’ at BAPS Temple in Melbourne

Victoria Police told The Quint that the "graffiti was written on the walls and fence of a building."

Police in Australia are investigating an incident of alleged vandalism at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Melbourne on 12 January, Thursday.

Victoria Police, under whose jurisdiction Melbourne falls, said they have been told "graffiti was written on the walls and fence of a building on Heaths Road in the early hours of the morning."

“An investigation into the incident is ongoing,” Victoria Police spokesperson Natasha Leigh told The Quint.

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The Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), established in Gujarat over 200 years ago, has temples across the world.

In a statement calling for peace, BAPS said it was “deeply saddened by the anti-India graffiti at the gates of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Mill Park, Melbourne by anti-social elements.”

“We are thankful to the appropriate authorities, including the governments of Australia and India as well as local community organisations, for their continued support,” the statement added.

Vishva Hindu Parishad of Australia alleged that the temple was “defaced with graffiti of slogan ‘Hindustan Murdabad’ which translates to ‘death to India’.”

The VHP Australia accused “Khalistani extremists” for the alleged vandalism, but neither the police nor the BAPS corroborated the claim.