Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday condemned the targeting of temples in Australia.
“I have seen reports of attacks on temples in Australia. I have conveyed this to PM Albanese and he has assured me that the safety and well-being of the Indian community in Australia is a priority for them,” PM Modi said.
“Our teams will be in regular contact on this matter, and will cooperate as much as possible,” he further added.
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PM Modi said the issue was raised with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during their bilateral meeting at Hyderabad House.
At least three temples in Melbourne were targeted in the month of January by pro-Khalistan supporters who vandalized the premises and sprayed anti-India and pro-Khalistani graffiti on the walls of the temples.
The victims of the latest attack were the authorities of the Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane’s Burbank suburb as the temple’s walls were defaced with anti-India and anti-Hindu graffiti allegedly by Khalistani activists.
In January, pro-Khalistani activists targeted three temples in the Melbourne region which led to tensions within the Indian diaspora. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir temple in Melbourne’s Mill Park was first vandalised on January 12, Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs was vandalised on January 16 and the wall of the ISKCON temple in Melbourne was defaced with “Khalistan Zindabad” graffiti on January 23.
The tensions rose further within the Indian diaspora after Khalistani separatists announced that they will hold a referendum on whether Punjab should remain a part of India – a move which upset members of the Indian diaspora.
On the day of the referendum, members of the Indian diaspora decided to peacefully protest against the demand but when they gathered at Melbourne’s Federation Square on January 29, they were attacked by pro-Khalistani supporters.
PM Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese held talks on Friday. The Australian head of state is on a four-day visit to India and earlier visited Gujarat and Maharashtra.
He and PM Modi watched the ongoing Border-Gavaskar test series between India and Australia and Albanese earlier on Thursday also visited Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
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