Australia: Hindu Temple Vandalised with Racist Slurs

According to the report, the Shree Swaminarayan Temple on Wadhurst Drive was defaced with red-painted slurs demanding, “Go Home Brown C**t.” Two nearby Asian-run restaurants were also targeted with the same graffiti.

Makrand Bhagwat, President of the Hindu Council of Australia's Victoria chapter, expressed deep shock at the desecration. “Our temple is meant to be a sanctuary of peace, devotion and unity,” he said, as quoted by The Australia Today.

Bhagwat added that the temple hosts daily prayers, community meals, and cultural festivals, drawing devotees from across Melbourne’s Indian diaspora. “To have it targeted in this way feels like an attack on our identity, our right to worship, and freedom of religion.”

Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan has yet to publicly address the incident, though her office sent a private message to the temple management.

In her statement, cited by The Australia Today, Allan said: “The Shree Swaminarayan Temple is so much more than a place of worship — it's a place of warmth and community... What happened this week was hateful, racist and deeply disturbing. It wasn't just vandalism — it was a deliberate act of hate, designed to intimidate, isolate, and spread fear.”

She added, “It was an attack on your right to feel safe and to belong, and on the values that bind us together. There’s no place for it anywhere in Victoria. And it must be called out for what it is.”

The Premier also acknowledged the role of local MP Jackson Taylor in raising the issue and assured that the Minister for Multicultural Affairs would soon visit the temple to offer support and listen to the community.

Victoria Police confirmed an ongoing investigation into what they believe are four linked incidents in Boronia — the temple and two restaurants among them.

A police spokesperson said, “Police are investigating following reports of graffiti in Bayswater and Boronia on 21 July... There is absolutely no place at all in our society for hate-based and racist behaviour.”

“It is understood graffiti was spray-painted on the front of a healing centre on the Mountain Highway overnight. Shortly after, graffiti was discovered on a temple on Wadhurst Drive in Boronia about 9.30 am. Two further restaurants were located with graffiti on Boronia Road,” the spokesperson added.

In response, Hindu community leaders have called on interfaith groups to stand together. “We want to show that love and solidarity triumph over hate,” said Vikrant Thakur.

Locals, including members of the City of Greater Knox’s Multifaith Network, have pledged their support to the affected communities.

In a related case of racial violence, a 23-year-old Indian man, Charanpreet Singh, was brutally assaulted in Adelaide.

According to 9News, Singh was left unconscious on a street following a racially motivated attack on Saturday night near Kintore Avenue in central Adelaide.

He was reportedly told to “f--- off, Indian” before being repeatedly punched over what appeared to be a car parking dispute. Singh was later found unconscious and left to die on the roadside.