Greenwood, IN, August 14, 2025: The main signboard of the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Greenwood, Indiana, was defaced with hateful graffiti overnight on August 10, in what community leaders and advocacy groups are calling a disturbing act of anti-Hindu bigotry.
Temple volunteers discovered the vandalism early the next morning and reported it to the Greenwood Police Department. The graffiti, described by a volunteer as “a message of hate and intolerance against Hindus,” was quickly removed, but not before photographs circulated online, sparking outrage.
The Consulate General of India in Chicago condemned the desecration as “reprehensible” and raised the matter with local law enforcement. Consul General Somnath Ghosh met with devotees, local leaders, and Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers, urging unity and vigilance against “the designs of miscreants.”
This is the fourth incident in less than a year targeting a BAPS temple in the United States, following similar acts of vandalism in California and New York. Hindu advocacy organizations, including the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) and the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA), have linked the graffiti to tactics used by pro-Khalistan extremist groups and called for the case to be investigated as a hate crime.
“When places of worship are repeatedly targeted, the promise of religious freedom begins to feel hollow for minority communities,” CoHNA said in a statement.
The Greenwood Police Department has not released details on suspects or motives, but community members say the pattern of attacks underscores the need for stronger security measures and swift accountability.
In March this year, the BAPS temple in Chino Hills, California, was spray-painted with anti-Hindu slogans, including “Hindustan Murdabad,” and derogatory remarks about India’s Prime Minister. That case, like the Greenwood incident, drew condemnation from Indian officials and prompted a hate crime investigation.
