This incident comes after a thread of temple vandalizations that have occurred in the past year across North America. Perpetrators have damaged property at mandirs from California to New York, including statues of prominent Hindu figures such as Mahatma Gandhi. And this past July, a BAPS mandir in Edmonton, Canada, was similarly defaced.

BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha condemns the desecration of its Melville temple, urging for peace and unity against hate crimes targeting Hindu temples in NA.

The Hindu American Foundation has urged the US Justice Department to investigate the attack on BAPS Hindu Temple in New York. Earlier, the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Canada was defaced with anti-India graffiti in July.

Bipartisan lawmakers across the US have condemned the vandalism at BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Melville, New York, calling for a full investigation. Expletives were sprayed on the road and signage outside the temple.