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(RNS) — Several dozen Hindu priests and worshippers were inside a temple in a Cleveland suburb last Friday evening when the peaceful ambience was broken by the sound of shattering glass.
Around 5:30 p.m., someone threw bricks at the windows of Shree Swaminarayan Vadtal Dham, shattering one and sending glass shards flying inside the Richmond Heights temple. While no one was injured, worshippers say the incident alarmed the tight-knit community.
Police are not treating the incident as a targeted attack. “There’s no evidence that suggests there’s any hate motivation or racial motivation or religious motivation,” said Evan Wright, a detective with Richmond Heights Police Department, adding that the suspect has been identified but not apprehended and was likely experiencing a mental health crisis. Wright said the investigation is ongoing.
Rakesh Ranjan, a psychiatrist who worships at the temple and the director of Cleveland’s chapter of the Coalition of Hindus in North America, had heard about instances of anti-Hindu attacks around the country before, but he said he never felt unsafe because of his religion in his 40 years living in northeast Ohio.
“I used to say thank God nothing like that has happened here,” he said. “This brought it too close for comfort.”
The newest and largest temple in greater Cleveland, Shree Swaminarayan Vadtal Dham opened in June 2025 in a former church building. Its opening was ceremonious for the area’s growing Hindu community, with faith leaders traveling from India for the occasion.
The temple soon became a gathering place, with religious education for children and a full calendar of fundraisers, social events and festivals. In the basement, priests set up rooms to host low-income students from India for free as they pursued their education.
An ordinary evening at the temple sees some 50 worshippers, while hundreds often come on weekends. During major Hindu festivals, the temple hosts around 2,000 people, Ranjan said.
The incident comes at a time of rising hate crime incidents against South Asians, both in person and online. A recent study conducted by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate documented a “sharp and sustained rise in anti-South Asian hate” driven by factors including incendiary rhetoric, xenophobic nationalism, economic resentment and digital amplification.
“You need to look at it as part of a broader context, given the rise in hate against this community and open religious bigotry,” said Pushpita Prasad, chief communications officer of CoHNA. Prasad suggested that Hinduphobia motivates attacks and vandalism against Hindu temples across the country.
Both Ranjan and Prasad called for the incident to be addressed immediately. “Hopefully this person will be prosecuted, because this is a serious, violent crime,” Ranjan said.
Richmond Heights Police say they take extra precautions to protect the temple and other religious institutions. “We always make it a note to patrol our places of worship,” Wright said. “That’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
The temple is aiming to raise $25,000 through a GoFundMe for repairs and additional security measures, including perimeter fencing, security cameras and lighting.
With the upcoming Hindu festival of Navaratri, Ranjan hopes worshippers will set aside any fears and come to the temple to celebrate.
“As a Hindu community, we have the right to worship,” he said. “We have the right to be where we want to be as a community, and we should be able to do that undeterred and undaunted.”