You are reading

Queens Man Arrested on Hate Crime Charges for Allegedly Vandalizing Statue Outside Hindu Temple

A statue of Mahatma Gandhi that was located outside Tulsi Mandi Hindu Temple in South Richmond Hill was destroyed in an act of vandalism on Aug. 16 (Photo via Cityline Ozone Park Civilian Patrol and GMap)

Sept. 19, 2022 By Christian Murray

A 27-year-old man was arrested on hate crimes charges Saturday for being part of a group that toppled and smashed a statue of Mahatma Gandhi last month that was located in front of a Hindu temple in South Richmond Hill.

Sukhpal Singh, of Douglaston Queens, was arrested 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, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office.

Police say that the statue, which was located outside Tulsi Mandi Hindu Temple at 103-26 111th St., was vandalized during the early hours of Aug. 16, with a temple priest discovering it that morning broken into multiple pieces along with the words “Kutta Dog” spray painted on it.

A Kutta dog is a large canine that originated in the Indian subcontinent and is often used as a guard dog.

The police were able to obtain video surveillance of the incident, which depicted five individuals pushing over the statue, and hitting it several times with a sledgehammer and spray painting it. The suspects are then seen running toward Liberty Avenue and then some entering a Mercedes Benz and some getting into a black Toyota Camry.

Police said that the Mercedes Benz observed on video surveillance is registered to Singh.

“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,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz in a statement.

“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 has been ordered to return to court on Oct. 17. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

2 Comments

Click for Comments 

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Ridgewood mother and daughter arrested for attacking woman over parking spot: NYPD

A Ridgewood mother and daughter were arrested Monday after they ambushed a young Black woman who tried to park her car in a spot in front of their apartment building that they frequently cordon off with garbage cans and traffic cones.

A family friend was standing at the northeast corner of Onderdonk Avenue and Putnam Avenue at around 7:30 p.m. when the 21-year-old Jada McPherson tried to park her car in the spot. The man placed a garbage can in her way. She drove off and circled the block multiple times. She tried to pull into the same spot one more time, but the man tried to stop her again. McPherson got out of her car to confront him, and an argument ensued.

Man in his 50s sought for exposing himself to 13-year-old on E train in Forest Hills: NYPD

Police from the 112th Precinct in Forest Hills and Transit District 20 are looking for a suspect who allegedly flashed a 13-year-old girl on a Queens subway train last month.

The victim was riding a southbound E train approaching the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike station at around 1 p.m. on Monday, June 30, when she saw a stranger exposing himself to her, police said Wednesday. The perpetrator ran off the train at the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike station and fled in an unknown direction. The youngster was not injured during her encounter with the stranger.