India Post News Service
CHICAGO: Indians worldwide are highly concerned at reports of three sacred Hari Krishna idols being stolen on November 9, hours after Hindu New Year celebrations.
This burglary took place at Shree Swaminarayan Temple Willesden in Greater London, according to Temple President Kurjibhai Kerai. These idols were with the temple since opening in 1975 and “hold a huge religious significance to all in our community”.
The concern was voiced by members of Hindu Community here and Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that it was shocking for the worldwide Hindus to hear about such incidents happening to a Hindu house of worship
It is urged that Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London Sir Kenneth Olisa, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and London Borough of Brent Mayor Arshad Mahmood to take this issue seriously and urgently and launch swift action to solve this crime ensuring the safe return of these sacred idols to the Temple. It is also important to make sure that such incidents do not happen in future. The devotees eagerly wait to have darshan of these sacred idols again.
Rajan Zed said that as an interfaith gesture; Church of England Bishop of Willesden Pete Broadbent, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols and area leaders of other religions should strongly condemn this act of burglary at a place of worship and show their solidarity with devastated Hindus.
This Temple, a registered charity and built on a former church building, is claimed to be “one of the biggest Hindu Temples in Europe”. It opens daily and besides worship services; it also conducts yoga-tabla-vachanamrut classes, runs a Gujarati school and youth academy, helps the homeless, etc. It functions under Shree Nar Narayan Dev Temple Bhuj in Gujarat, India; whose Code of Conduct includes abstaining from alcohol, drugs, meat, adultery, stealing, food-drinks from improper sources.
Willesden is a suburb north west of London, which forms part of London Borough of Brent.
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