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A teenager was arrested over an alleged mass shooting plot targeting a Hindu temple near Chicago. The case has intensified demands for stronger security amid concerns over anti-Hindu hate.
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Washington,Oct 15, 2026 19:22 IST
India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, has described an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple near Chicago as "deeply disturbing", news agency Press Trust of India reported on Thursday.
His remarks came a day after a teenager was arrested for allegedly planning the shooting at a temple in Aurora in the US state of Illinois. Several Indian diaspora groups condemned the alleged plot and called for stronger protection of Hindu places of worship.
"The attempted mass shooting at the Hindu temple in Aurora is deeply disturbing. Racist violence including anti-Hindu and anti-India hate has no place in a civilised society," Kwatra said in a post on X.
US Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice would look into the incident. "Concerning. @CivilRights will review/investigate," she said in a post on X, according to PTI.
The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies said the incident showed that anti-India and anti-Hindu hatred was not limited to online and political rhetoric.
"This incident is a stark reminder that anti-India and anti-Hindu hatred is not merely online and political rhetoric — it can translate into real world threats against our community and places of worship," the group said.
The Coalition of Hindus of North America urged elected representatives and law enforcement agencies to take threats against Hindu places of worship seriously, strengthen security and unequivocally condemn Hinduphobia.
"We also call on temples and community organisations to review their security measures, remain vigilant, and promptly report suspicious activity," it added.
Suhag Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, said, "There's also no question that the hate has gone from inchoate to a very coherent anti-Hindu animus that is now radicalising white supremacists online. The risk of online hate spilling into real world violence has never been higher."
Earlier this month, the Swaminarayan Hindu Temple Vadthaldham in the greater Cleveland area of Ohio was vandalised by unidentified people. In 2025, a Hindu temple in Spanish Fork, Utah, came under gunfire, while four temples in California and three in New York were vandalised with hate slogans.
The Coalition of Hindus of North America also said there had been regular calls to pull down the Hanuman statue in Sugar Land, Texas.
The alleged shooting plot in Illinois has prompted Indian officials and diaspora organisations to condemn anti-Hindu and anti-India hatred and seek greater protection for Hindu temples and community institutions in the US.
With PTI Inputs
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