Sikhs in US state of North Carolina call for probe after gurdwara vandalised repeatedly

In the fall of last year, trash was littered around the premises of the Gurdwara Sahib Khalsa Darbar on East Arrowood Road in Charlotte, North Carolina, a Sikh named Ajay Singh told local newspaper The Charlotte Observer. In another instance, community members found the security cameras were damaged, and on January 3 this year, a window near the gurdwaras worship room was destroyed, the report said.

The repeated attacks on a gurdwara in the US state of North Carolina have triggered shock and panic among the local community, who are demanding a detailed investigation into these instances of vandalism. In the fall of last year, trash was littered around the premises of the Gurdwara Sahib Khalsa Darbar on East Arrowood Road in Charlotte, North Carolina, a Sikh named Ajay Singh told local newspaper The Charlotte Observer. In another instance, community members found the security cameras were damaged, and on January 3 this year, a window near the gurdwara's worship room was destroyed, the report said. Two days later, a window was broken near a room for children, Singh was quoted as saying in the report. ''It's shocking for us to experience things like this. We're a small community in Charlotte...'' Singh said. Community members filed a police report following the spate of incidents, Singh said. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, however, said there were no police reports registered between December 1, 2022 to January 13, 2023 at the Gurdwara on East Arrowood Road, according to the Charlotte Observer. ''We need law enforcement to step up,'' Pawanjit Singh, a member of the gurdwara, was quoted as saying in the report. The community members have set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of the damages and install a safety fence and a gate, the report added. Across North Carolina, there are roughly 6,900 Sikhs out of 10.5 million residents, according to the 2021 American Community Survey.

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