Houston:Â The evaporation of religious tolerance is what the world is witnessing at the moment and in one of the incidents that fit this bill perfectly was when a sign board for a planned Hindu temple in the US state of North Carolina was fired at.
This incident left over 60 holes in the sign, prompting authorities to probe the incident that has shocked the Indian community.
The incident happened sometime between noon July 4 and about 1pm last Saturday, Forsyth county sheriff’s office said in a report.
A deputy found empty shell casings near the sign that were consistent with bird shot being fired two to three times from a shotgun, Winston-Salem Journal quoted chief deputy Brad Stanley of the sheriff’s office as saying.
The sign suffered a damage of $200. Investigators have no leads or suspects, Stanley said.
The Om Hindu Organization of North Carolina is planning to build a 3,600 sq ft temple in Clemmons and has bought 7.6 acres at the site.
Quote Unquote
“We as American people are fighting hate, standing up to promote tolerance, respect and inclusion,” Om Hindu said in a statement.
“We have no doubts that in long run we will be able to practice our religion and live peacefully in this region and work towards a pluralistic society.”
The group also said it was moving forward with its plan for the temple.
The sheriff’s office does not have any information that organization was targeted because of its faith, Stanley said.
“It appears just to be vandalism,” he said, adding that police have increased its patrols in the area.
Manujunath Shamanna, a member of the organization’s board of directors, said that his group first noticed the vandalised sign when its members visited the site last Saturday. The organization then reported it to the sheriff’s office.
“It is very disappointing,” Shamanna said of the damaged sign. “It could be some kids playing.”
About 500 Indian families live in Forsyth county. The vandalism will not affect the organization’s plan to build its temple, Shamanna said.
Former Clemmons mayor John Bost offered his apologies for the incident in a post on the paper’s Facebook page.
The incident comes at the heels of reports of vandalizing of North Texas Hindu Mandir in Dallas in April and vandalizing of two Hindu temples in Seattle metropolitan area of Washington State in February last.
President of Universal Society of Hinduism, Rajan Zed has demanded swift action against the culprits and said the incident has shocked the Hindu community in the US.
(With inputs from PTI)