’20–30 bullets fired’: Iskcon temple targeted in US; India urges action

The Consulate General of India in San Francisco has condemned a sequence of capturing incidents focusing on the Iskcon Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah, calling it a “recent firing incident” and urging authorities to behave swiftly. “We strongly condemn the recent firing incident at the ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Krishna temple in Spanish Fork, Utah. The Consulate extends full support to all the devotees and the community and urges the local authorities to take prompt action to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the Consulate mentioned in an announcement.Over the previous a number of days, the temple, famend globally for its annual Holi Festival, has come below repeated assault, with between 20 to 30 bullets fired on the constructing and surrounding grounds. Iskcon confirmed the shootings on social media, describing the incidents as suspected hate crimes that occurred throughout nighttime hours, whereas devotees and visitors have been current inside. “The incidents… have resulted in thousands of dollars in structural damage, including to the temple’s hand-carved arches,” Iskcon tweeted.Fox News reported that the shootings have rocked the temple, which sits on a 15-acre hilltop campus and has stood as a group sanctuary for greater than 20 years. The temple, constructed in the early Nineties, homes peacocks, llamas and cows alongside the place of worship. According to temple president Vai Warden, the constructing was shot at on three separate events in June. Bullet holes now mark the arches, partitions, and home windows. “We’ve gone on well over these last decades with no trouble, and now suddenly, whether it’s religious or politically motivated, we don’t know,” Warden mentioned.Security footage captured a automobile pulling as much as the temple gates earlier than pictures have been fired. Shell casings have been later recovered on the scene. “We believe this was based on hate,” Warden added. “We want to find out who did this and prevent this from happening again.”