New Delhi/Melbourne, July 24: A Hindu temple and two Asian-owned restaurants in Melbourne were defaced with racist graffiti, triggering shock and concern within the local Indian and broader Asian communities, according to a media report on Thursday.
The Shree Swaminarayan Temple on Wadhurst Drive in Boronia, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, was vandalised with red-painted racist slurs on Monday morning, Australia Today reported. The same hateful graffiti was also scrawled across two Asian-run restaurants on Boronia Road, located nearby.
Victoria Police confirmed the incidents and assured the public of strict action. “There is absolutely no place at all in our society for hate-based and racist behaviour,” the police said, according to the report.
Makrand Bhagwat, president of the Victoria chapter of the Hindu Council of Australia, expressed anguish over the desecration. “It feels like an attack on our identity, our right to worship and freedom of religion,” he said.
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan, in a private message to the temple management, condemned the act as “hateful” and “racist.” “What happened this week was hateful, racist and deeply disturbing. It wasn’t just vandalism – it was a deliberate act of hate, designed to intimidate, isolate and spread fear,” Allan’s message read, as quoted by the portal.
The Hindu community has reached out to interfaith groups for solidarity and support, amid growing unease about the rising trend of targeted hate incidents in Melbourne.
The Victoria Police investigation is ongoing, with authorities urging anyone with information to come forward.
