New York Lawmakers and Hindu Leaders Condemn Vandalization of Gandhi Statue Outside Queens Temple
- On Aug. 3, three people allegedly damaged and toppled the statue outside the Shri Tulsi Mandir. in Richmond Hill.
Lawmakers representing Queens, activists and prominent members of the Indian American community came together on Aug. 9 to condemn the vandalization of a Mahatma Gandhi statue outside a temple in Richmond Hill. The incident took place on Aug. 3, when three people allegedly damaged and toppled the statue outside the Shri Tulsi Mandir.
The Aug. 9 press conference was organized by State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, from the 38th district, representing Queens neighborhoods of Glendale, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood, and Woodhaven. She told the crowd that “the desecration of Gandhi statues and anti-Hindu hate crimes will not be tolerated in Richmond Hill or anywhere in New York state,” as reported by the QNS, a news site covering New York City, focusing on the latest news, sports, crime, politics, and entertainment.
Hindus believe in respecting people of different backgrounds and faiths, she said, adding “This was Mahatma Gandhi’s dream– a peaceful, loving world. We have achieved Gandhi’s dream in Richmond Hill, where Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews and Christians live together in harmony, often on the same block.” She called for “the vandalism to be investigated as a hate crime and for the perpetrators to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” the QNS report added.
Suhag Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, attended the press conference, as did Nikunj Trivedi, president of the Coalition of Hindus of North America. “Mahatma Gandhi’s message of peace and oneness emanates from the core of Hindu teachings,” Shukla said. “For those who wish to divide and sow seeds of hate, that message is a threat, and so we see these ugly attacks on a prominent symbol of our legacy and that too at a temple — the most sacred of spaces for Hindus.”
Similarly, Trivedi acknowledged “seeing a surge in Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu hate crimes, including the desecration of Gandhi statues and attacks on Hindu public officials in multiple places.” He urged leaders, law officials and the general public “to stand against such hate and bigotry.”
Others who spoke at the press conference include Pandit Lakhram Maharaj, founder and spiritual leader of Shri Tulsi Mandir, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, N.Y. Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr., City Councilwoman Joann Ariola, Assemblyman David Weprin, and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. They “offered their sympathies” to the temple “and committed to aiding Rajkumar’s work to end hate crimes,” the QNS report said.