A Hindu temple’s signboard was vandalised in the US city of Indiana, an act that the Indian consulate described as “reprehensible.”

The “act of hatred” took place at the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Greenwood, the temple’s official public affairs handle said in a post on X on Tuesday. This marks the fourth time in less than a year that a BAPS temple has been targeted.

The Indian Consulate in Chicago took strong note of the incident and said it was “reprehensible.”

“Desecration of the main signboard of the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Greenwood, Indiana is reprehensible,” it posted on X, adding that it had reported the matter to law enforcement authorities for “prompt action.”

It further stated that the consul general had addressed a congregation of devotees and local leaders, including the Mayor of Greenwood, “calling for unity & solidarity, and vigilance against miscreants there.”

The temple management, in its post, said the act had “strengthened our community’s resolve, and we remain united in our stand against anti-religious behaviour.”

In March, a BAPS Hindu temple in California was also vandalised by an unidentified individual in another such incident in the US.