Shots fired at ISKCON temple in US, Indian consulate demands action

The ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple at Spanish Fork, Utah in the United States, has come under attack in suspected hate crimes over the past several days, with 20–30 rounds being fired at the temple building and the surrounding property.

The incidents occurred during night hours, while devotees and guests were present inside, and have resulted in thousands of dollars in structural damage, including to the temple’s hand-carved arches, said Vaibhavi Devi Dasi, co-founder of the temple.

On Tuesday, the Consulate General of India in San Francisco wrote on X, “We strongly condemn the recent firing incident at the ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Krishna temple in Spanish Fork, Utah. The Consulate extends full support to  all the devotees and the community and urges the local authorities to take prompt action to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

According to the official statement of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), “on June 18, temple staff heard a loud noise and observed smoke coming from the temple’s radio station roof, but could not confirm its cause.”

“Days later, a bullet hole was discovered in one of the temple windows, with the bullet travelling into a wall of the main worship space. Additional bullet holes were found in the building’s arches, and about 20 shell casings were recovered from the road just outside the temple’s security fence. Surveillance footage revealed a pickup truck parked in front of the property on the night of the shooting, though no suspect has been identified,” they added.

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the incident and has increased patrols at the site. In response to the attacks, the temple is enhancing its safety measures.

Notably, a similar incident took place earlier this year on March 9, when the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu temple in Chino Hills, California, was found desecrated just days before a so-called ‘Khalistani referendum’ was scheduled in Los Angeles, according to temple officials.

The advocacy organisation Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) claimed that there have been multiple attacks on Hindu temples in the United States in the last two years in California, Minneapolis, New York, Texas, and Utah.

According to CoHNA, there have been a total of seven attacks on Hindu temples in the US between January 2024 and July 2025.

Along with vandalism, the Hindu temples were damaged with messages like “Hindus go back”.