6 Hindu temples vandalised in California in 2 weeks, claims US Congressional candidate

US Congressional candidate Ritesh Tandon has claimed that six Indian temples were vandalised in California over the past two weeks. Tandon, a Democratic candidate of Indian origin, vying for the representation of California’s 17th Congressional District, has called for action, expressing disappointment at the lack of response from State Senator Aisha Wahab.

“In the last two weeks, six Indian temples have been vandalized, with five located in Wahab District. There has been no response from Senator Aisha Wahab,” stated Tandon in an X post. (sic)

Tandon and a group of protesters held a rally in front of Senator Wahab’s office, seeking a meeting. Despite being during office hours on a working day, the office was closed, prompting Tandon to raise concerns about the utilisation of taxpayer dollars and suggesting a potential recall.

“Today, we held a protest rally in front of Senator Wahab’s office, seeking a meeting with her or her staff. Unfortunately, despite it being within office hours on a working day, the office was closed. This situation highlights the use of your tax dollars and suggests it might be time to consider a recall,” he added.

Wahab was elected to the California Senate in 2022 and has positioned herself as a lawmaker aiming to reduce economic inequality and strengthen safety nets for seniors, women, children, and working families, according to her website.

According to the news agency Reuters, Wahab herself was placed in foster care after losing her mother and father at a young age.

Her election in 2018 to the Hayward City Council made Wahab the first Afghan-American woman elected to public office in the United States.

In December of the previous year, the United States condemned the vandalism of the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple in Newark, California. The temple was vandalised with anti-India graffiti, and authorities are investigating it as a possible hate crime.

Shortly after, Canadian police initiated an investigation into reports of shots fired at the residence of an Indian-origin businessman in Surrey, British Columbia. The property, belonging to the son of Satish Kumar, the president of Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, suffered damage from the gunshots.

The temple gained attention when its members countered a protest by the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice, opposing the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in Surrey, Canada.