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LONDON, October 26, 2003: Two young white men reportedly intruded into a Ram temple in Ealing Road, London, on Diwali and shook the statue of Ram, breaking an arm and the bow and arrow. According to reports, the men entered the Sanatam Dharam Mandir around 4 pm when a number of women had gathered for satsang (religious singing and discussion). One of the men grabbed the mike and began shouting while the other man, it is said, went up to the Ram murthi and started shaking it. As a result the murthi fell on the ground and one arm and the bow and arrow broke. Some women caught hold of the men and locked them up in a room until the police arrived and arrested the two men. The Hindu community has been shaken by the incident. One leader, Ramesh Kallidai, said that the murthi has been reinstalled after attaching the broken arm, but since a cracked murthi is not worshipped, a decision has to be made as what to do next. A further report in the Times of India adds that security was tightened at Shree Swaminarayan Mandir at Neasden, England’s largest Hindu temple, where a large crowd had gathered to celebrate Diwali. Vanilal Bhaghela, Chairman of the Hindu Council of Brent, said the police investigation into the incident was on and hoped that it was only an isolated incident and it would not recur elsewhere. Diwali was celebrated with great enthusiasm by the sizeable Indian community in the UK. An estimated 40,000 people visited the Swaminarayan Mandir on Diwali day.

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