A Hindu temple in the Greater Cleveland area was attacked with bricks on Friday afternoon, shattering its windows while priests and some devotees were inside, two US-based Hindu advocacy groups said.
The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) said the Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Temple Vadtaldham in Richmond Heights was attacked and vandalised. The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said the attack took place at 1:30 pm, when the perpetrator or perpetrators threw bricks at the temple and caused significant damage.
There were no reports of anyone being hurt. Neither group has said how many people were in the building at the time.
Surveillance video
HAF said surveillance video of the incident is available and is being reviewed by authorities. It added that it is in touch with temple leaders and offering assistance. I could not find a statement from Richmond Heights police on a suspect or any arrest, and the groups have not said whether the attacker has been identified.
CoHNA described the incident as a fresh case of “Hinduphobia” and urged Richmond Heights Mayor Kim Thomas and the city to condemn what it called bigotry. It also asked the police to take swift action against the perpetrator.
HAF Executive Director Suhag Shukla said online hate had turned into a real-world attack on a Hindu temple. Whether the attack was motivated by hate has not been established, and police have not classified it as a hate crime.
The attack came days before Ohio’s Hindus mark Hindu Heritage Month and the festival of Navratri, which begins in under 10 days, CoHNA noted. The groups said the timing made the incident especially troubling.
Swaminarayan temples elsewhere in the US have been vandalised in recent years, including one in California in March 2025, when messages directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi were spray-painted on the premises.
