US: In yet another incident of hate crime against Hindus in North America, shots fired at ISKCON temple in Utah with devotees inside

A series of gunshots were fired at an ISKCON temple in Utah’s Spanish Fork city in an apparent case of hate crime during the last week. Around 20-30 bullets were fired at the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple, while several devotees were inside the temple.

The shooting has caused structural damage worth thousands of dollars to the temple building.

“Over the past several days, 20–30 bullets were fired at the temple building and the surrounding property. The incidents occurred during nighttime hours, while devotees and guests were present inside, and have resulted in thousands of dollars in structural damage, including to the temple’s hand-carved arches, said Vaibhavi Devi Dasi, co-founder of the temple,” read a statement by ISKCON regarding the incident.

The mass condemnation by Hindu groups

According to ISKCON, on 18th June, a temple staff heard a loud noise and saw smoke emerging from the radio station roof of the temple. After some days, a bullet hole was discovered in one of the temple windows. The bullet travelled into a wall of the main worship space. Several bullet holes were found in temple arches and around 20 shell casings were found on the road outside the temple’s security fence. CCTV footage of the night of the attack showed a pick up truck parked in front of the temple but no person was visible.

The attack was condemned by the Consulate General of India in San Francisco, which called for swift action. “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 General wrote on X.

The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) condemned the shooting incident and asked the authorities to urgently investigate the case. The CoHNA also highlighted a pattern of similar attacks on Hindu temples in California, Minneapolis, New York, and Texas in the last couple of years.

In March this year, a Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu temple in Chino Hills, California, was desecrated ahead of a ‘Khalistani referendum’ in Los Angeles.

Incidents of temple attacks in North America

Hindu temples have come under attack on many occasions in Canada as well, mostly by Khalistani elements. In November 2024, Khalistani goons attacked Hindu temple in Canada’s Brampton leading to severe criticism of the Trudeau-led government. In April this year, Khalsa Diwan Society Gurdwara, also known as the Ross Street Gurdwara, was desecrated with pro-Khalistan and anti-India graffiti.

There has been a string of similar incidents documented in recent years, underscoring a distressing trend of religious intolerance in US and Canada.

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