Sikh Temple in Sydney vandalised by pro-Khalistani elements

The BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Sydney was found vandalised in the early hours on Friday (local time), The Australia Today reported. This comes almost two months after temples in Melbourne and Brisbane were vandalised by pro-Khalistan supporters.

According to The Australia Today, a news outlet focused on multicultural communities and the Indian subcontinent, authorities at the temple in Western Sydney's Rosehill suburb said they found unwanted graffiti on the structure's front wall and a so-called 'Khalistan flag' hanging on its gate.

"When I went this morning for prayers I saw ugly vandalism on the front wall," a local resident of Harris Park and a daily visitor to the Swaminarayan temple told the Australian media outlet.

The Australia Today media report said it understands that local police were notified by the temple management as early as 7 am, and the latter has told the media outlet that NSW Police officers have attended the temple and CCTV footage has been provided to assist them in the investigations. Earlier this year too, there were reports of temple vandalisation in Australia.

Three temples in Melbourne and two in Brisbane were vandalised by Khalistan supporters.

The latest episode of temple vandalisation by anti-social elements comes days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend in-person the Quad Leaders' Summit scheduled on May 24 in Sydney. Indian Australian Diaspora Foundation will host a grand community reception in honour of PM Modi a day ahead of the QUAD Leaders' Summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier raised concerns with his Australian counterpart, to which he assured that the safety of the Indian community is a special priority.

"I gave him the assurance that Australia is a country that respects people's faith. That we don't tolerate the sort of extreme actions and attacks that we've seen on religious buildings, be they Hindu temples, mosques, synagogues, or churches. This has no place in Australia," Albanese said addressing a press conference during his recent India visit, which was reported by ANI on March 11.

In the US and Canada too, the pro-Khalistan supporters had attempted on various occasions to vandalise temples and Indian diplomatic installations after police in India lodged a manhunt on radicalist Amritpal Singh.

The radical preacher of separatism was on the run for over a month and surrendered before Punjab Police on April 23 from Moga. He was later flown to Assam's Dibrugarh jail, where several of his aides were kept and booked under the stringent National Security Act.

Amritpal Singh leads "Waris Punjab De", a radical organisation started by actor and activist Deep Sidhu, who died in a road accident in February last year. Punjab Police had launched a crackdown on him and members of his outfit 'Waris Punjab De' on March 18, a month after his supporters stormed a police station in Ajnala for the release of one of his aides.

A day after police in India launched the operation to arrest, Amritpal, a propaganda meeting in Australia's Brisbane by Khalistan sympathisers was organised, which they called a referendum, but it failed badly.

The propaganda meeting did not manage to gather steam, as just a handful of people had turned up. A handful of Khalistani supporters who attended the propaganda meet were trying to mobilise people to join in, but their outreach attempt too had failed.