Most recently, in his statements, the External Affairs Minister (EAM), S Jaishankar, criticized the act of vandalism of Hindu temples as a rising trend that he finds very intolerant. 

“This event that took place yesterday at the Hindu temple in Canada was disturbing,” the premier said, addressing reporters in the Australian capital of Canberra, where he was attending an official function. 

The occurrence took place weeks after Ottawa kicked out six Indian diplomats and accused them of being involved in the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in 2023 in Canada. India has denied a Canadian allegation that it was waging a campaign against dissidents of Indian origin living in Canada. 

Furthermore, the event has raised conflicting relations between Canada and India or between Sikh separatists and Indian diplomats.

Being concerned with the cultural and religious sites, he stressed that similar actions are destructive to the key values that define society and its tolerance. Violations have taken place recently where temples have been defiled. 

The Minister’s assurance is meant for communities in India and across the globe. Jaishankar further stressed the protection of religious sites and called for zero tolerance against any kind of violence or act of hatred. 

He emphasized respect for the culture of our neighbors, stating that it lets us preserve that which is left in a society, which is essential for preserving the peace in a multicultural society. With this, Jaishankar wants practices put in place to avoid such occurrences in the future to enable equal freedom of worship for any faith across the globe.

Canberra Attacks

The attack on two Hindu temples in Canberra last month was worrying, according to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, for Indian residents.

”Every single individual in this nation of ours has a right to be safe and to be respected, and that includes people who wish to protest peacefully, and it includes people who wish to exercise their rights to free speech, free assembly, and free association,” she said to the media.

’We make a distinction between that and violence, hatred promotion, or vandalism,’ she said.

Ms Wong admitted that Australia had conveyed its stand to India for the Canadian report about the Sikh separatists’ assassination plot, and the Australian government respected Canada’s legal proceedings. Jaishankar said it was intolerable that Canadian authorities had started spying on Indian diplomats.

“This is a new trend that Canada has adopted where the Canadian government makes charges while declining to produce details,” he said.

The Canberra attacks are a series of violent incidents that have raised safety concerns in Australia’s capital. Primarily targeting public spaces and cultural sites, these attacks reflect a troubling rise in extremism and hate crimes, particularly against religious institutions. 

In response, law enforcement has increased investigations and visibility in affected areas to reassure the public. Community leaders and officials stress the need for unity and resilience against such violence, advocating for cooperation among diverse groups.

Jaishankar’s Message On Religious Intolerance

In his recent interviews external affairs minister (EAM) S Jaishankar too has touched on the aspects of religious intolerance stating how it harms society and the nation as a whole. 

He spoke at length about the acts of violence and destruction on houses of worship, which he said are detrimental acts. These undermine the dignity of every citizen, including freedom of worship. 

During the performance, Jaishankar stressed that people should preserve cultural and religious values, saying that every religion has the same right to be protected.

He asked for unity against extremism by appealing to groups in society to come together and fight extremism. For his part, Jaishankar also stressed the importance of education and information as the primary tools for top-level religious groups, which should dialogue and engage with each other. 

According to him, the government and the Civil Society Organizations must join forces together for the promotion of a culture of peace, tolerance, and non-recognition of prejudice. 

Taking religious intolerance as a primary topic, Jaishankar conducts the reader towards a society of believers in which every person can respect the rights of others and respect diversity and differences in the nation, which would ultimately provide a greater and more united nation.