NEWARK, California — Three Hindu temples in the San Francisco Bay Area have been targets of possible hate crimes over the past three weeks.
The perpetrators in at least two of the incidents are believed to be Khalistanis, Sikhs advocating for a separate country carved out of the Indian state of Punjab. The attacks come amid a wave of tension between India and supporters of Khalistan. Last September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had credible information that Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed by Indian agents in British Columbia. Nijjar was a Canadian citizen.
In late November, the US unsealed an indictment revealing an alleged plot by India to assassinate Sikh American separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The indictment states that India hired hitman Nikhil Gupta to kill Pannun. Gupta was employed by the Indian government as a “senior field officer,” according to the indictment.
‘Intent to Intimidate’
Samir Kalra, managing director of the Hindu American Foundation, told Ethnic Media Services that many Sikh American leaders have stepped up to denounce the vandalism. “We want to make the distinction that this is the work of Khalistanis, not Sikhs at large.”
“This was done with the intent to intimidate the Hindu community.”
Kalra said the movement for Khalistan is largely dead in India. He characterized the Hindu community as a “soft target,” through which supporters of Khalistan could still keep the eyes of the world and media focused on their movement.
Hayward Temple
In the most recent incident, the Vijay’s Sherawali Temple in Hayward was hit with graffiti on Christmas Day. Roniel Vijay Chand — who built the temple in 2021 as a tribute to his late father — told Ethnic Media Services he was heartbroken to see the graffiti. “We spent so much time and effort to build this beautiful place. Why were we targeted with so much hate?”
Vandals sprayed the hand-painted entrance sign with the phrases: “Khalistan Zindabad,” and “Modi is a Terrorist,” as verified in photos.
“We are a non-violent peaceful community,” said Chand, noting that the temple’s congregants are comprised mostly of Indian immigrants from Fiji. The Sherawali Temple is believed to be the largest temple in the Bay Area devoted to Goddess Durga.
Police Non-Responsive
The former Adobe engineer — who quit his job to focus full-time on the temple — said he initially called Hayward Police, but was told that the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department would handle the case, as the temple sits on an unincorporated portion of Hayward. As of late Jan. 4 evening, neither the Sheriff’s Department nor Hayward Police have come out to investigate the incident. Chand said he is baffled by law enforcement’s non-response, despite his daily persistence.
“I want police to take serious action to protect us. These vandals want people to be afraid to come to temple,” he said. Chand said he would support an active dialogue between himself and leaders of the Khalistani movement. “We need to understand each other.”
Newark Temple
The attack on the Hayward Temple comes on the heels of a similar incident Dec. 22 at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple in nearby Newark. In that incident, vandals spray painted “F*&k Mody Jindabad,” “Modi is Terrorist,” and “Shaheed (Martyr) Bhindrawala,” a possible reference to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who is credited with founding the movement for Khalistan.
Newark Police Department Captain Jonathan Arguello told Ethnic Media Services the incident is still under active investigation, but no arrests have yet been made.
Hate Crime
Arguello said the vandalism is being investigated as a hate crime. “This is believed to be a targeted attack at a house of worship where religious activities are regularly held,” which fits the definition of a hate crime, he said.
The police captain said he could not confirm whether Khalistanis were involved, nor whether Khalistani organizations were being investigated in the matter. The US Justice Department is also investigating this incident.
Santa Clara Temple
Meanwhile, Ramya Ramakrishnan, national community outreach director for the Hindu American Foundation, told EMS a third incident had taken place at the Shiva Durga Temple in Santa Clara. According to Ramakrishnan, at least two people broke into the temple late night, and stole all of the money in the donation box, at least one month’s worth of donations. Management found out about the robbery the following day.
The Santa Clara burglary could not be independently verified by EMS by press time.
Community Fearful
“This is three crimes in three weeks. There is a lot of apprehension in our community, and it has made us fearful of going to temple,” said Ramakrishnan. She stressed the need for temples to better protect themselves with security cameras and motion sensors.
“I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 24 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Ramakrishnan.
