Sikh-owned Indian restaurant in the Sante Fe City vandalised with hate messages in US' New Mexico; damage worth $1,00,000 caused

The Restaurant walls were full of hatred messages;Tables were overturned,glassware smashed into piles on the floor.

Washington: An Indian restaurant owned by a Sikh in the Sante Fe city in the US state of New Mexico was broken into and vandalised with hate messages scrawled on its walls, according to a media report.

The damage caused to India Palace restaurant is estimated to be worth USD 1,00,000, local Santa Fe Reporter newspaper reported on Tuesday. The vandalisation is being investigated by local police and the FBI, it said.

The Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDEF), a non-profit civil rights organisation, has condemned the incident.

"This kind of hate and violence is unacceptable and swift action must be taken to ensure the safety and security of all Americans," said SALDEF executive director Kiran Kaur Gill.

According to the local daily, tables were overturned, glassware was smashed into piles on the floor, wine racks were emptied, a statue of a goddess was beheaded and computers were stolen.

The vandals also turned over and destroyed food warmers, while the front desk area was gutted, plates smashed and the kitchen rendered completely unusable, it said.

 “I walked into the kitchen, I saw everything and I was like, hold on, what? What is going on here?” owner Baljit Singh told Santa Fe Reporter. “White power,” “Trump 2020,” “go home,” and far worse were spray-painted on walls, doors, counters and any other available surface. “Some phrases contained threats of violence and derogatory racial slurs,” the daily said.

Link: https://www.firstpost.com/india/sikh-owned-indian-restaurant-vandalised-with-hate-messages-in-us-new-mexico-damage-worth-100000-caused-says-police-8519181.html