 "Police said an investigation related to the incident is underway. Image courtesy: CNN-News18")
The Indian Consulate in Australia’s Melbourne was vandalised, with graffiti found at the front entrance of the diplomatic building.
According to a News 18 report, citing officials, the honorary Consulate of India located at 344 St Kilda Road in Melbourne was targeted by unidentified miscreants in the wee hours of April 10, around 1 am.
The Indian High Commission in Canberra said that it has raised the incident of defacing at the diplomatic building with the Australian authorities.
“The incident of defacing at the premises of the Consulate General of India in Melbourne by miscreants has been raised with Australian authorities. All necessary steps are being taken to ensure the safety and security of Indian diplomatic and consular premises and personnel in the country,” the high commission said in an X post.
Sharing details related to the incident, News 18 quoted a police spokesperson as saying, “Officers believe the front entry of the building was graffitied overnight, sometime between Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 April. An investigation into the damage remains ongoing.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsConsulate officials have yet to release an official statement regarding the incident. However, the matter has been escalated to senior Victorian authorities and the Indian High Commission in Canberra, reported News 18, citing sources.
This isn’t the first instance of anti-India sentiment surfacing in Australia. In October last year, masked men broke into two Hindu temples in Canberra, committing acts of vandalism and theft.
In a separate 2023 incident, Khalistani flags were found tied to the Indian Consulate in Brisbane, shortly after a visit by India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Earlier, the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Sydney was also defaced with graffiti reading “Declare Modi Terrorist,” as reported by the BBC.
Moreover, Khalistani groups reportedly threatened the Kali Mata Mandir in Melbourne, warning against a bhajan event featuring singer Kanhiya Mittal, known for his staunch Hindu views.
With inputs from agencies