AUBURN, AUSTRALIA, March 25, 2011: The bullet holes can still be seen on the exterior of Auburn’s Sri Mandir Temple. Less visible are the marks left by the shot that made its way inside Australia’s first Hindu temple, when it was peppered by about eight rounds.
Two men in balaclavas were captured firing the shots on the night of March 19 by the temple’s CCTV cameras. A police spokeswoman said detectives were working closely with the community as part of investigations into the incident. The president of the Council of Indian Australians, Yadu Singh, said the shooting was a sign that attacks on the temple were becoming more serious.
There were no worshippers in the building at the time of the shooting – unlike an incident last November when two windows were smashed by people armed with metal bars. ‘The bottom line is that something needs to be done, because it is not a one-off,’ he said. ‘We have a right to exist; we have a right to practice our religion.’
The temple’s priest, Jatinkumar Bhatt, who lives on the site, said he had been harassed by youths in the past but he was scared by the shooting. ‘I have a family as well, three kids and my wife,’ he said. ‘Throwing eggs and bottles is an ongoing process but this bullet really put us in a panic.’
The 35-year-old temple hosted an interfaith meeting attended by the Member for Auburn, Barbara Perry, as well as local Muslim and Christian groups earlier this month. The building was shot up about 10 days later. Ms Perry said the Hindu temple was well respected in Auburn.