A 'naked' man was arrested for vandalising a Sikh temple in Washington in the United States of America, on Wednesday. 44-year-old Jeffrey C Pittman was arrested from the gurudwara while he was wearing nothing. He also desecrated the Sikh holy book 'Sri Guru Granth Sahib'.
Pittman has been charged with offences of burglary, malicious mischief and malicious harassment, which is the state’s statute for a hate crime, The Seattle Globalist reported.
The damage caused is estimated to run into tens of thousands.
The accused is understood to have entered the building from a side door and was detained by the priest of the gurudwara when he arrived in the temple in the morning. He was holding the ceremonial sword of the Sikh temple when the temple staff detained him.
"We don’t know the motivations behind the vandalism yet, but we do know that police are treating the case seriously and that the perpetrator has been arrested. There are no immediate indications that bias was involved. No house of worship in America should ever be vandalised. The Sikh articles of faith, which include the turban and beard, show our commitment to equality, justice and freedom for all. These are not just Sikh values, they are American values,” a statement issued by the gurudwara said.
Rajwant Singh, chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education, expressed shock and anguish over the incident.
“This is terrible news for Sikhs in the Spokane area and nationwide,” Mr Singh told PTI.
“This kind of incidents should not become a norm for us or for the country,” he said.
“This can change and Americans can appreciate our values once they know that Sikhs believe in equality and tolerance towards other religions.”
