Photo Courtesy of Google
The front of the Tulsi Mandir Temple
By Forum Staff
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Monday that Sukhpal Singh, 27, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime for allegedly smashing a statue in front of the Tulsi Mandir Temple last month. The incident took place around 3:00 AM on Tuesday, August 16, 2022.
District Attorney Katz said, “As alleged, the defendant, along with several unapprehended others, committed a disgraceful act of violence against a Mahatma Gandhi statue that has become a universal symbol of peace, unity and inclusivity. Hate and bias-motivated attacks have no place in our communities and my Office will hold such perpetrators accountable. The defendant has been apprehended and is charged appropriately.”
Singh, of Little Neck Road, Queens, was arrested on Saturday and charged with one count of criminal mischief in the second degree as a hate crime, criminal mischief in the second degree and aggravated harassment in the first degree. Sunday, the defendant was arraigned on the charges before Queens Criminal Court Judge Odessa Kennedy, who ordered the defendant to return to court on October 17, 2022. Singh faces up to fifteen years in prison if convicted.
Photo Courtesy of Cityline Ozone Park Civilian Patrol
Further evidence of vandalism near the temple.
According to the complaint, on August 16, 2022, at 9:00 a.m., a priest at the Tulsi Mandir Temple located at 103-26 111th Street observed a statue depicting Mahatma Gandhi was broken into multiple pieces along with the words “Kutta Dog” spray painted on the pieces.
Furthermore, officers observed video surveillance from August 16, 2022, which depicted five individuals pushing down the Mahatma Gandhi statue, striking it several times with a sledgehammer and spray painting the statue and running towards Liberty Avenue and then some entering a Mercedes Benz C-Class vehicle bearing the license plate # KUG9664 and some entering a black Toyota Camry.
Continuing, said DA Katz, after investigation by the NYPD it was determined that the registered owner of the Mercedes Benz vehicle observed on video surveillance is defendant Singh.
“I commend our police department in apprehending and charging one of the criminals in his role with the destruction of the Tulsi Mandir Temple’s Gandhi statue. Attacks like this directed at a specific culture or religion cannot be tolerated and in my opinion are crimes against the entire community. I also thank the Queens DA’s office for treating this as a hate crime. Hopefully we can educate more people on the harm that these hate crimes cause and let criminals know that there are consequences for their actions. We will continue to stand together on the side of peace and love, the foundation for most every religion, to drive out hate,” State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said in a statement.
