FRIDAY UPDATE:17-year-old arrested in connection with Hindu temple vandalism

Louisville officials on Wednesday called the vandalism of a Hindu temple in Buechel a hate crime and asked the community to help clean up the temple and find those responsible for the "cowardly" act.

Vandals broke windows at Swaminarayan Temple, 4032 Bardstown Road, and wrote "repugnant messages of hate" on the walls, Mayor Greg Fischer said at a news conference Wednesday.

Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad called the vandalism a hate crime and said police would be at the temple Sunday to make sure the community is safe. There are no suspects yet, he said.

"The desecration of this temple is heartbreaking," Conrad said. "I want the people of this temple to know that we will stand with them. We will do our best to keep them safe, and we will do what we need to do to make Louisville a safer city."

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Nobody was at the temple when the vandalism happened, said Raj Patel, a spokesman for Swaminarayan Temple, which has been on Bardstown Road for about five years. Between 60 to 100 people usually attend Sunday worship, Patel said.

"Our main concern is just making sure that we feel safe when we come back to this temple to pray," Patel said. "We shouldn't have to look behind our shoulders or our backs to feel that there is someone out here to get us."

Hinduism and many religions "are the same when it comes down to it. The common foundation is to be good to others," he added.

Sometime between Sunday evening and Tuesday morning, vandals broke a window downstairs near the entrance to the temple. Shards of glass were scattered across part of the floor. In an upstairs room, profane messages were spray-painted on the walls along with several black crosses. Phrases such as "Jesus Is All Mighty," "Jesus Is Lord" and "God" were also sprayed in black paint on the walls.

A picture was also partially sprayed with black paint, and a knife was left on a chair in the temple.

Temple officials said no video of the incident is available.

Conrad said "too many incidents like this" have happened in Louisville, referencing a past incident at the Louisville Islamic Center and heightened safety concerns at a local Sikh temple following a deadly temple shooting in Wisconsin in 2012. In a similar case in 2015, the Louisville Islamic Center on River Road was spray-painted with insults against Islam.

Fischer called this week's actions "cowardly and unacceptable." He said members of Swaminarayan Temple are "strong community leaders" and successful entrepreneurs in Louisville.

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The vandals "have only given our community more fuel and more determination to embrace compassion and understanding and embrace each other," Fischer said. "Any time we see hatred or bigotry in our city, we will stand up and speak against it."

State Rep. Nima Kulkarni, who became the first Indian-American ever elected to the Kentucky General Assembly in November, called the vandalism "an act of divisiveness."

"It was an act of intimidation," the Louisville Democrat said. "It was an act designed to weaken our faith and our community. I know that we're better than this."

Rajan Zed, a Hindu statesman and president of the Reno, Nevada-based Universal Society of Hinduism, urged local and state leaders, including Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, to condemn the vandalism and visit the temple.

"This issue should be taken seriously and urgently, and efforts should be made to make sure that such incidents did not happen in the future," Zed said in a statement.

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Fischer said he and his staff will be at the temple from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday to clean up, and he invited community members to help out as well.

"We will send a message that hate will not be tolerated in our city," Fischer said.

Gov. Matt Bevin in a tweet Thursday morning called the incident "reprehensible and inexcusable" and said police would work to find the people responsible.

Other Kentucky officials condemned the vandalism at the Hindu temple on Twitter.

"The vandalism of Swaminarayan Temple was a cowardly and abhorrent act, a sad reminder of the presence of bigots among us who feel emboldened as of late," U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth said in social media posts. "I stand with the Hindu community in rejecting this hatred."

Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear called the vandalism "unacceptable."

"We are all Kentuckians and our constitution protects all of our freedoms to worship," Beshear said in a Twitter post. "I would encourage everyone to support the clean-up efforts."

Patel said temple members are also focused on making sure their children learn from this act of hate.

"It's not a specific religious group or religion that did this crime," Patel said. "It's just a bad apple."

How to help

Help clean up

Mayor Greg Fischer said he and his staff will be at Swaminarayan Temple, 4032 Bardstown Road, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday to clean up. The community is invited.

Know anything about the vandalism?

Louisville Metro Police asks anyone with more information on the vandalism to call the anonymous tip line at 502-574-5673.